Conventional to a thriller film.
A thriller movie should have an exciting plot, typically involving crime or espionage. It makes the audience feel on edge with a great deal of suspense and tension added throughout the film.
A typical thriller film is Saw V, in the clip 'Survival of the Fittest'. The conventions of a thriller is what you'd typically expect in the film. For example, low-key lighting, suspense, tension, eary music and much more. In this clip, it portrays the typical conventions of a thriller.
Insert the clip
The low key lighting is conventional in a thriller film as the dark shadows help to create the mysterious scenes and the tension as we as the audience feel shadowed and unaware of what is going to happen. It is used in the clip to help create the darkness of the situation. It's conventional as in your typical thriller film they always have low key lighting so it emphasises their dangerous situation, which creates a higher suspense level and makes the audience in a more vulnerable position which is what a thriller is meant to make them feel.
Another convention to a thriller film, is innocent victims are made vulnerable, and either made to be murdered or go through a series of unfortunate events. You'd expect many murders or jumpy scenes in thrillers to make the scenes more terrifying and heart stopping. In Saw we see many of the victims in the survival of the fitness trying to fight for their life's. At the end of the scene one man is horrifically blown up, therefore murdered. The victims are made to look like normal everyday people, which makes the scene more relatable to real life, as the audience feel like they are part of the scene.
Tension and suspense are a convention of a thriller film as they are what creates the mood for the scene. They make the audience more eager to watch and find out what happens. With great suspense and tension the audience start to imagine what is going to happen next as they don't know initially what is going to happen within the next few minutes. In the clip we see huge amounts of suspense and tension when they have to smash the glasses in order to find a key to open a safety pass way. As they are all fighting for these keys we know one person will be killed in the process, so the audience start to panic and are intrigued to see who will survive and who will perish. This is all conventional to a thriller as the suspense and tension makes the audience feel more personally involved as they start to get attached to certain character and don't know whose fate will end there.
The narrative is usually always the same in thrillers. There are always victims, iconography such as knifes blood etc, scary music all to add to the theme of the film. They usually base it on the vulnerability of victims and have a main killer or plot which is used to kill people. Saw shows that there are many vulnerable characters in this scene as they fight for their life's. We see them at there most vulnerable but at their most deadliest. It's conventional to a thriller as in most thrillers the characters will occasionally go crazy with fear, so will kill anything in their path to help them with their freedom.
Friday, 27 September 2013
Wednesday, 25 September 2013
Editing Scream 3 - The Cutting Room - Miss Georgiou
Editing is used in thriller films to show the different lengths of particular shots, for example some shots last for a few seconds and some last for a few minutes. In this blog , I am going to discuss the different examples of editing types within the clip of 'Scream 3 - The Cutting Room'.
The first editing shot used within the clip is Straight Cut and Jump Cut. A straight cut is a change of shot from one viewpoint to another quickly. This was used at the beginning of the scene, where the main blonde character is recieving threatening phone calls from the killer and it switches from focusing on her to the telephone. This creates a sense of the unknown, you are now aware of what is happening and you feel uneasy and worried for the girl, as we now see her in her most vulnerable position.
In this scene many reaction shots were used in the editing to create a feel of the characters emotions at certain points in the scene. Firstly, the killer has threatened the victim on the phone, which leads to her being shocked and fearful, so she immediately pulls back in panic. Her facial expressions change from a comical/sarcastic too fearful, ass he is threatened to be a "skewered pig". This shows the reality of the situation, and the audience feel as if they are part of the film due to its very realistic approach.
The audience are now convinced that something bad is going to happen so we are drawn to the scene even more than before. This editing type is conventional to a thriller film as again, we as the audience are nervous about the situation and the hidden identity of the killer, so we don't know what to expect apart from a gruesome death is about to occur. They leave people on the edge of their seats at the most crucial parts of the film.
Many linking shots are used within is particular editing scene, to add an emotional impact for e audience. It helps create the sharp, quick changes and the links between different settings and iconography.
Slow editing Is also used in this scene, so a number of clips can be juxtaposed together at a slower pace to create a higher deal of suspense. It is used when the girl is trying to escape and hide from he villain, but is in fact running into his own trap in the store room with identical costumes to his. The slower the scene is, the more tension and suspense is created and the more our heart rate increases due to the fear.
This is what the creators of this film wanted as the audience now feel like they are in the film. You start to fear for the victim which is conventional to a thriller film as it makes the audience more engaged with the film as we want to help the girl out of the bad situation. The use of slow editing is key in a thriller, as it creates lots of suspense, drama and many scary shocking moments.
Individual ideas for a narrative Miss Georgiou
A narrative is important in a film as it builds up a story line for the audience to follow, and let's them understand what could happen with the plot of the film. After plenty of research into narratives, I have used this to help me create my own thriller, which is my own personal and individual narrative for my thriller film.
My thriller includes my own narrative:
- It is set In a normal family home, with the main characters being a schitxofrenic young girl who has just come out of a mental institution, who is living wt home with her mother and younger sister.
- She has just come back from a mental institution for hearing voices in her head, which lead to her doing mysterious things and having a lot of trauma. Believing she was cured she comes back home but immediately starts hearing voices again, calling her name.
- At this point the audience are in suspense waiting to find out where these voices are coming from and waiting for something bad to happen.
- The voices in her head are actually the killers, who have put them in a game which they have to solve. We do not see the killers as their identity is hidden which is conventional to a thriller as you only find out who the killers are near the end. We can only hear the killers through the girls mind using non-diegetic sound.
- They are all off to bed apart from the mother who looks like she has been taken over by something and stares longingly into the television screen. The girls sister is fast asleep and the other shouts goodnight from midway staircase. The house at this point is very dark with shadows created by the low key lighting. All you see is the mum watching tv with no communication.
- As soon as the clock/radio by her bed strikes 12, comical music turns on and the changing of radio stations scream loudly. Then the voices are on the radio, whilst screaming from downstairs occurs with chains rattling.
- She can hear the voice in her head whilst silently moving downstairs, when the iconography of chains hammers knifes are all in the living room. Her mother and sister are both chained to a cutting board in which both their lives are in jeopardy, but they are attached to a jigsaw puzzle which the girl has to follow.
- Different paranormal things happen, she gets into a room but the door closes shut and she has to break through. Family gets dragged by invisible demons into different rooms leading to more treacherous taks.
- All their costumes are in nightwear which will make the scene more realistic. Iconography are things such as rope, chains knifes all conventional to thrillers.
- I would want the characters body language to be very tight, timid, scared and worn out from all the fear and pain they're being out through. I would makes the killers once they enter near the end stand up straight looking like the have power, which would make the audience scared and worried about them and about what's going to happen next. This would create the suspense of how they are all going to get out of this horrible situation.
- Location is in a normal house which is quite isolated from the neighbourhood and everybody else. I believe is is conventional to a thriller as it will make everything that little more realistic and there is always something bad about detached houses forbidden away from everybody else. This makes the audience feel on edge.
My narrative appeals to the audience of an 18 certificate as there is a high level of violence and blood and gore, which has it's traumatising scenes. This would the the audience petrified as times which I believe only adults will be able to deal with.
My inspiration for this thriller is based on Saw V and Paranormal Activity 2. This is because I want the jigsaws to be gruesome and horrifying like Saw's as I believe you really feel your own pain as the audience as you see the characters desperation for freedom, so you can relate to them and feel like you are in the film. I combined the two with a twist, so I have made the killers identity hidden, conventional to a thriller as it makes everything more suspicious and it intensifies the scene and the whole film. The scene where the girl gets locked outside is key to my film as it makes the victim/hero look helpless and in her own danger which is terrifying to watch yet you emphasise with the girl. This makes is more realistic as you see how hard she is trying to help, yet it looks like no matter what she does nothing is working.
I would like the victim to be in constant low key lighting, like the villain, as I believe it adds drama to specific scenes and portrays a dark, eary atmosphere in the house in the film. This all adds to effect to the audience as they will be on the edge of their seats.
The audience will be able to relate to my film as the main girl is around the certificates age (18/19) and has just a normal family like everyone else. They wouldn't suspect anything to go wrong in a normal family home, they would understand that the voices in the girls head are part of her illness as people who may have the mental illness they can see what it really could be like. Confusion will happen as the voices are actually 'real' in the film. This will appeal to my tarter audience as the reality is quite astonishing and they won't be expecting the storyline to take such dramatic turnings for the worse, and hopefully they start to fear for being so normal has its consequences... That not everyday is so glorious.
My thriller includes my own narrative:
- It is set In a normal family home, with the main characters being a schitxofrenic young girl who has just come out of a mental institution, who is living wt home with her mother and younger sister.
- She has just come back from a mental institution for hearing voices in her head, which lead to her doing mysterious things and having a lot of trauma. Believing she was cured she comes back home but immediately starts hearing voices again, calling her name.
- At this point the audience are in suspense waiting to find out where these voices are coming from and waiting for something bad to happen.
- The voices in her head are actually the killers, who have put them in a game which they have to solve. We do not see the killers as their identity is hidden which is conventional to a thriller as you only find out who the killers are near the end. We can only hear the killers through the girls mind using non-diegetic sound.
- They are all off to bed apart from the mother who looks like she has been taken over by something and stares longingly into the television screen. The girls sister is fast asleep and the other shouts goodnight from midway staircase. The house at this point is very dark with shadows created by the low key lighting. All you see is the mum watching tv with no communication.
- As soon as the clock/radio by her bed strikes 12, comical music turns on and the changing of radio stations scream loudly. Then the voices are on the radio, whilst screaming from downstairs occurs with chains rattling.
- She can hear the voice in her head whilst silently moving downstairs, when the iconography of chains hammers knifes are all in the living room. Her mother and sister are both chained to a cutting board in which both their lives are in jeopardy, but they are attached to a jigsaw puzzle which the girl has to follow.
- Different paranormal things happen, she gets into a room but the door closes shut and she has to break through. Family gets dragged by invisible demons into different rooms leading to more treacherous taks.
- All their costumes are in nightwear which will make the scene more realistic. Iconography are things such as rope, chains knifes all conventional to thrillers.
- I would want the characters body language to be very tight, timid, scared and worn out from all the fear and pain they're being out through. I would makes the killers once they enter near the end stand up straight looking like the have power, which would make the audience scared and worried about them and about what's going to happen next. This would create the suspense of how they are all going to get out of this horrible situation.
- Location is in a normal house which is quite isolated from the neighbourhood and everybody else. I believe is is conventional to a thriller as it will make everything that little more realistic and there is always something bad about detached houses forbidden away from everybody else. This makes the audience feel on edge.
My narrative appeals to the audience of an 18 certificate as there is a high level of violence and blood and gore, which has it's traumatising scenes. This would the the audience petrified as times which I believe only adults will be able to deal with.
My inspiration for this thriller is based on Saw V and Paranormal Activity 2. This is because I want the jigsaws to be gruesome and horrifying like Saw's as I believe you really feel your own pain as the audience as you see the characters desperation for freedom, so you can relate to them and feel like you are in the film. I combined the two with a twist, so I have made the killers identity hidden, conventional to a thriller as it makes everything more suspicious and it intensifies the scene and the whole film. The scene where the girl gets locked outside is key to my film as it makes the victim/hero look helpless and in her own danger which is terrifying to watch yet you emphasise with the girl. This makes is more realistic as you see how hard she is trying to help, yet it looks like no matter what she does nothing is working.
I would like the victim to be in constant low key lighting, like the villain, as I believe it adds drama to specific scenes and portrays a dark, eary atmosphere in the house in the film. This all adds to effect to the audience as they will be on the edge of their seats.
The audience will be able to relate to my film as the main girl is around the certificates age (18/19) and has just a normal family like everyone else. They wouldn't suspect anything to go wrong in a normal family home, they would understand that the voices in the girls head are part of her illness as people who may have the mental illness they can see what it really could be like. Confusion will happen as the voices are actually 'real' in the film. This will appeal to my tarter audience as the reality is quite astonishing and they won't be expecting the storyline to take such dramatic turnings for the worse, and hopefully they start to fear for being so normal has its consequences... That not everyday is so glorious.
Research into age certificates & the BBFC miss georgiou
The age certificates that the BBFC set are based on the general public, including small children, teenagers and adults. The BBFC have guidelines that help them outline the criteria helped to rate the films and DVDS in Britain. They update the certificates every four years and take into account the changing views on things such as violence, sex, language and drugs.
Picture of the muppets
The U symbol stands for Universal. A U film should usually be suitable for audiences aged four years and over with obvious guidance by an adult. A U film only allows very mild bad language for example 'damn’ and ‘hell'. It will generally contain positive messages about loyalty, honesty and friendship, particularly amongst children. The film will have a happy ending for the child and the overall tone should be one of reassurance.
An example of a U film would be the Muppets. There is no violence or sexual scenes of any nature, so the children can enjoy a fun filled film without any disturbances. The film is based on puppet animals which will feature only playing insights to adventures they go through, nothing that would disturb any child. It would be seen as an enjoyable experience for the children, with your typical animals which try to make a bond with the child, to make he film more child friendly. The film is in this category as many children like animals and consider them as friends, and the plots of the film are easy for the children to follow with no complications. In this film it is all about friendship and their loyalty to one another which leads to a happy ending, great for the children to enjoy and have a positive experience out of watching it.
Picture of Harry potter and the philosopher stone
PG stands for Parental Guidance. This means that a film is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for younger children. A PG film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older, and it is down to the parents whether their child may be disturbed under the influence of this film. There may be mild bad language such as ‘shit’ or ‘son of a bitch’ in a PG film, but the context and delivery are always important. Sexual activity is allowed in this films, but mildly, as it can be talked about but never in detail.
An example of a PG film is Harry Potter at the philosopher Stone. This film contains moderate violence and some strong profanities, but is based on a magical experience for witches and wizards whom come across a dark lord. The film will give a comical yet fantasy feeling as the characters are around the age of the viewers so the humour and violence is to their standards. Parental guidance is advised in these films, due to the moderate violence which could offend or maybe disturb some of the younger viewers. Although violence is involved, it is very moderate so the outcome is always positive and never ends in a bad way. The plot of this film is based in a school so the audience can relate to it as many of the viewers will be at the schooling age. The characters are a the start of their teenaged years so it is put it this category as younger children may find it un relatable.
Picture of hunger games as 12 and Grown Ups 12A
12A means that anyone aged 12 or over can go and see the film unaccompanied. The A stands for 'accompanied'. Children younger than 12 may see the film if they are accompanied by an adult (someone over the age of 18), who must watch the film with them.
The 12 certificate is just for the actual videos, DVDs and Blu-rays, the 12A is for films at the cinema only. The BBFC's Guidelines state that there may be strong language ('f***') at 12 or 12A, but it must be infrequent, therefore must not be a regular outcome, but there may be moderate language, for example uses of terms such as ‘bitch’ and ‘twat’ at 12 or 12A.
An example of a 12 certificate film Is The Hunger Games. In this film brutal games take place in order for only one survivor. Although it may seem brutal, the violence in condemned so you cannot see a lot of it happening. The character are aged between 13-18, so the language barrier is uplifted due their age and their maturity. The language and sexual content is very limited in this film as it isn't acceptable to be showing any nudity or serious profanities within this film. If language is used then it is very minimal and nothing which could possibly harm or affect the child/teenager in any way. The accompany of adults on this film is advised as the violence could possibly influence or disturb a younger child than it's certificate, as they maybe frightened of the weapons and frightening things that occur in this film.
The example for a 12A is Grown Ups. It's just a family film with references to sex and nudity, and exploits at a small level girls to be sexual objects. Parental guidance is advised as some children may take it the wrong way and find it disturbing.
Picture of 21 and over
Under no circumstances, No-one under 15 is allowed to see a 15 film at the cinema or buy/rent a ‘15’ rated DVD. 15 rated works are not suitable for children under 15 years of age. No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds, which includes large amounts of sex, drugs, bad language and violence. 15's are stronger than 12 or 12A rated as they include large amounts of: strong violence, frequent strong language (eg 'f***'), portrayals of sexual activity, strong verbal references to sex, sexual nudity brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence, discriminatory language or behaviour and drug taking.
An example of a film rated 15 is 21 and over. This film is about young boys who have finally exceeded all the restrictions and can do whatever they like as they've hit the legal drinking age. This film is in this category as it involves large references to sex, drugs and drinking all at which is illegal but humorous to watch at the age of 15. at this age the children watching should be mature enough to watch this and not be offended by the outcome of the plot.
It Contains strong language, sex references, nudity and soft drug use which is why children under the age of 15 should not be able to watch it as they maybe offended by it or it may influence them to do it, they are not at the right maturity level to be able to watch a film like this and not try and copy the actions of the actors.
Picture of saw v and project x
Films rated 18 are for adults. No-one under 18 is allowed to see an 18 film at the cinema or buy/rent an 18 rated DVD. No 18 rated works are suitable for children. There is No theme, prohibited at 18. Adults are free to pick their own entertainment within the law, so it is possible some themes tackled at 18 may be offensive even to some adult viewers. 18 works are for adults and can contain strong issues such as: very strong violence, frequent strong language (eg 'f***') and/or very strong language (eg ‘c***’), strong portrayals of sexual activity, scenes of sexual violence, strong horror, strong blood and gore, real sex (in some circumstances) and discriminatory language and behaviour. This is all acceptable due to their age, even if it may offend some adults.
One example of a 18 rated film is Project X. This film is about 3 high school seniors throwing a birthday party to make a name for themselves. As the night progresses, things spiral out of control as word of the party spreads. It contains large amounts of nudity and drunken behaviour. Violence is used within fighting and the use of drugs and drunken behaviour is clearly seen and evident on screen. This film is in this category as it could influence the younger generation to do the things played on screen, and it could also offend younger children. It could also disturb people younger as it is a very mature film and is defiantly sure to be classed as a 18 rated movie. As the plot is to get drunks take drugs and party, this film is for over 18's as they are more likely to understand the consequences of the situations and are more likely to learn from the seniors mistakes.
Another film classed under the certificate of 18 is Saw V. Huge amount of horror, violence, strong blood and gore and strong language are used throughout this film. Groups of strangers are put through a series of gruesome traps to hopefully be set for their freedom, this leads to many deaths which are portrayed in a very gruesome manor. The plot is very terrifying which could leave anyone younger in a very disturbed way which could lead to serious consequences. The large amount of blood and death leaves the adults feeling scared and terrified, so any child younger than that could be seriously disturbed by the outcomes of this film. It has bad endings, and the horrifying tasks leaves people not he edge of their seat, possibly giving them nightmares. This is why it is in a 18 certificate due to the large amount if horror and blood and gore.
Picture of the muppets
The U symbol stands for Universal. A U film should usually be suitable for audiences aged four years and over with obvious guidance by an adult. A U film only allows very mild bad language for example 'damn’ and ‘hell'. It will generally contain positive messages about loyalty, honesty and friendship, particularly amongst children. The film will have a happy ending for the child and the overall tone should be one of reassurance.
An example of a U film would be the Muppets. There is no violence or sexual scenes of any nature, so the children can enjoy a fun filled film without any disturbances. The film is based on puppet animals which will feature only playing insights to adventures they go through, nothing that would disturb any child. It would be seen as an enjoyable experience for the children, with your typical animals which try to make a bond with the child, to make he film more child friendly. The film is in this category as many children like animals and consider them as friends, and the plots of the film are easy for the children to follow with no complications. In this film it is all about friendship and their loyalty to one another which leads to a happy ending, great for the children to enjoy and have a positive experience out of watching it.
Picture of Harry potter and the philosopher stone
PG stands for Parental Guidance. This means that a film is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for younger children. A PG film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older, and it is down to the parents whether their child may be disturbed under the influence of this film. There may be mild bad language such as ‘shit’ or ‘son of a bitch’ in a PG film, but the context and delivery are always important. Sexual activity is allowed in this films, but mildly, as it can be talked about but never in detail.
An example of a PG film is Harry Potter at the philosopher Stone. This film contains moderate violence and some strong profanities, but is based on a magical experience for witches and wizards whom come across a dark lord. The film will give a comical yet fantasy feeling as the characters are around the age of the viewers so the humour and violence is to their standards. Parental guidance is advised in these films, due to the moderate violence which could offend or maybe disturb some of the younger viewers. Although violence is involved, it is very moderate so the outcome is always positive and never ends in a bad way. The plot of this film is based in a school so the audience can relate to it as many of the viewers will be at the schooling age. The characters are a the start of their teenaged years so it is put it this category as younger children may find it un relatable.
Picture of hunger games as 12 and Grown Ups 12A
12A means that anyone aged 12 or over can go and see the film unaccompanied. The A stands for 'accompanied'. Children younger than 12 may see the film if they are accompanied by an adult (someone over the age of 18), who must watch the film with them.
The 12 certificate is just for the actual videos, DVDs and Blu-rays, the 12A is for films at the cinema only. The BBFC's Guidelines state that there may be strong language ('f***') at 12 or 12A, but it must be infrequent, therefore must not be a regular outcome, but there may be moderate language, for example uses of terms such as ‘bitch’ and ‘twat’ at 12 or 12A.
An example of a 12 certificate film Is The Hunger Games. In this film brutal games take place in order for only one survivor. Although it may seem brutal, the violence in condemned so you cannot see a lot of it happening. The character are aged between 13-18, so the language barrier is uplifted due their age and their maturity. The language and sexual content is very limited in this film as it isn't acceptable to be showing any nudity or serious profanities within this film. If language is used then it is very minimal and nothing which could possibly harm or affect the child/teenager in any way. The accompany of adults on this film is advised as the violence could possibly influence or disturb a younger child than it's certificate, as they maybe frightened of the weapons and frightening things that occur in this film.
The example for a 12A is Grown Ups. It's just a family film with references to sex and nudity, and exploits at a small level girls to be sexual objects. Parental guidance is advised as some children may take it the wrong way and find it disturbing.
Picture of 21 and over
Under no circumstances, No-one under 15 is allowed to see a 15 film at the cinema or buy/rent a ‘15’ rated DVD. 15 rated works are not suitable for children under 15 years of age. No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds, which includes large amounts of sex, drugs, bad language and violence. 15's are stronger than 12 or 12A rated as they include large amounts of: strong violence, frequent strong language (eg 'f***'), portrayals of sexual activity, strong verbal references to sex, sexual nudity brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence, discriminatory language or behaviour and drug taking.
An example of a film rated 15 is 21 and over. This film is about young boys who have finally exceeded all the restrictions and can do whatever they like as they've hit the legal drinking age. This film is in this category as it involves large references to sex, drugs and drinking all at which is illegal but humorous to watch at the age of 15. at this age the children watching should be mature enough to watch this and not be offended by the outcome of the plot.
It Contains strong language, sex references, nudity and soft drug use which is why children under the age of 15 should not be able to watch it as they maybe offended by it or it may influence them to do it, they are not at the right maturity level to be able to watch a film like this and not try and copy the actions of the actors.
Picture of saw v and project x
Films rated 18 are for adults. No-one under 18 is allowed to see an 18 film at the cinema or buy/rent an 18 rated DVD. No 18 rated works are suitable for children. There is No theme, prohibited at 18. Adults are free to pick their own entertainment within the law, so it is possible some themes tackled at 18 may be offensive even to some adult viewers. 18 works are for adults and can contain strong issues such as: very strong violence, frequent strong language (eg 'f***') and/or very strong language (eg ‘c***’), strong portrayals of sexual activity, scenes of sexual violence, strong horror, strong blood and gore, real sex (in some circumstances) and discriminatory language and behaviour. This is all acceptable due to their age, even if it may offend some adults.
One example of a 18 rated film is Project X. This film is about 3 high school seniors throwing a birthday party to make a name for themselves. As the night progresses, things spiral out of control as word of the party spreads. It contains large amounts of nudity and drunken behaviour. Violence is used within fighting and the use of drugs and drunken behaviour is clearly seen and evident on screen. This film is in this category as it could influence the younger generation to do the things played on screen, and it could also offend younger children. It could also disturb people younger as it is a very mature film and is defiantly sure to be classed as a 18 rated movie. As the plot is to get drunks take drugs and party, this film is for over 18's as they are more likely to understand the consequences of the situations and are more likely to learn from the seniors mistakes.
Another film classed under the certificate of 18 is Saw V. Huge amount of horror, violence, strong blood and gore and strong language are used throughout this film. Groups of strangers are put through a series of gruesome traps to hopefully be set for their freedom, this leads to many deaths which are portrayed in a very gruesome manor. The plot is very terrifying which could leave anyone younger in a very disturbed way which could lead to serious consequences. The large amount of blood and death leaves the adults feeling scared and terrified, so any child younger than that could be seriously disturbed by the outcomes of this film. It has bad endings, and the horrifying tasks leaves people not he edge of their seat, possibly giving them nightmares. This is why it is in a 18 certificate due to the large amount if horror and blood and gore.
Tuesday, 24 September 2013
Research in Cinematography Miss Miller
In this blog I am going to be analysing the cinematography in the Insidious Clip - The Smiling Family. This involves the many types of camera angles, positions and movements.
Put the clip of Insidious here
Here we have a long shot camera angle which connotes that the characters and the background sets the scene for the audience. This particular camera angle is used to establish the scene so that the audience can start to imagine what might come next. The connotation behind the shot is to create suspicion amongst the audience, and make us feel on the edge of our seat.
Another camera angle used is a high angle. This is used in the clip, so we can feel empathy for the character in the tense situation. The high camera angle connotes the mans vulnerability, as the angle makes him look very small and timid, against a large dark background. We see him here at his most vulnerable, which makes us as the audience immediately see him as the victim.
Picture of smiling woman and man in background.
This shot has many different camera angles within. They mainly focus on the on characters facial expressions. One camera angle used is a Shallow focus; this focuses on the main character whilst the rest of the shot is unfocused and blurry. This creates a relationship with the audience as we now feel a sudden feeling of suspense, as we can only see the lady and at this particular time nothing else around her. We are so focused on this particular character we don't know what is going to happen next. We seem to focus on this character in the shot, as she is a clue of what is to come within the film. Her constant smile make us think about the next scene to whether she is hinting any sort of danger or clues on what is about to happen. The shallow camera angle really points out the puppets emotions which then generate through the screen and become our own sense of emotions including fear and suspense.
Another camera angle used her is Two Shot, where it focuses on the two characters. This camera angle makes us as the audience, feel a sense of reality as they look like a normal family (despite their odd smiles and whistling). Little do we know, that these people are nothing of normality, yet human. The scene being called the 'Smiling Family' makes a great connotation for the film. Their facial expressions add meaning to the scene, as they are statuesque, they do not move, so we as the audience start to over think and start to imagine different types of scenarios. Although we are focussing me on the female character, the male character has a distinct thrilling feel about him, even though he is blurred out. The camera angle makes him blurred so we can't see his identity, which makes us believe he is somebody mysterious and that maybe he links in with the thriller later on in the movie. Both shots are used so that we see that this is no ordinary family.
Picture of man with light to his face
The camera angle used here is a close up, focused on the actors face. This camera angle is used to showcase his fear and his confusion, as he isn't quite sure why this family seem to constantly be smiling. This camera angle creates a very different relationship with the audience, as we feel inside the film, like its reality, and that we are infant the character themselves. It makes us feel anxious and nervous towards him and his situation because we get a great insight of his feelings from his facial expressions.
Secondly, this shot is used to the side of hi face to emphasise his frailty, as they want it to be evidently clear that he is now in a serious situation. This all creates uncertaincy in the scene as we are now worried for the actor as we do not have any idea what this family are capable of.
Pic with three people on sofa
The camera movement used here is called tracking. It slowly moves towards the characters sitting in the sofa whilst the focus remained constant. We start to create a relationship with this scene as the more characters that are revealed, the more we feel uneasy and reluctant to find out what is going to happen next, due to such a great ordeal of suspense. We start to ponder and it makes us believe that something bad is going to happen as their facial expressions are blank yet threatening and confusing at the same time; which makes us fearful for the next scene.
The slow movements of the camera, create suspense and tension which makes the scene more interesting and dramatic, which is needed in a thriller film to make the audience relate to it better..
The distance being created connotes a sudden realisation of how alone the main character is in this situation. He has nobody to help him if he finds himself in any sort of danger. Where he has nobody to help him, we as the audience immediately want tot ry and help him, even though we can't save him from what is going to happen. The distance also makes us believe that as he is so far away from humanity and from everything, but for all we know he is yet closer than anybody thinks to finding out this mysterious thriller.
Picture of him in darkness
There are a few camera angles used in this shot, they include, Eye-Level angle, Steadicam and Close Up. The eye level camera angle is used to make us as the audience feel more engaged with the scene and the actor, as we see the fear in his eyes which are directed at us and the sudden realisation of danger on his face, which creates suspense and drama.
Steadicam on the other hand, is used as the camera is remained perfectly still, again so the relationship with the audience is dramatised, and we feel like we are in the danger position like the actor. This is because we are allowed to focus on the emotions of the actor and everything becomes more dramatised as we can start to relate to his feelings of fear and desperation, so this makes this scene more believeable.
Finally, the close up creates a realistic approach with the audience as we can really see the emotions on the actors face, which we then feel empathy for him as his eyes look like they are flooding with tears. The camera angle is being emphasised on him to make the emotions more realistic and obvious. I believe that he is the focus of this shot as the film creators are trying to make us relate to the man and feel what he is going through, which can make the scene more scary and more entertaining.
Picture of smiling woman and man in background.
This shot has many different camera angles within. They mainly focus on the on characters facial expressions. One camera angle used is a Shallow focus; this focuses on the main character whilst the rest of the shot is unfocused and blurry. This creates a relationship with the audience as we now feel a sudden feeling of suspense, as we can only see the lady and at this particular time nothing else around her. We are so focused on this particular character we don't know what is going to happen next. We seem to focus on this character in the shot, as she is a clue of what is to come within the film. Her constant smile make us think about the next scene to whether she is hinting any sort of danger or clues on what is about to happen. The shallow camera angle really points out the puppets emotions which then generate through the screen and become our own sense of emotions including fear and suspense.
Another camera angle used her is Two Shot, where it focuses on the two characters. This camera angle makes us as the audience, feel a sense of reality as they look like a normal family (despite their odd smiles and whistling). Little do we know, that these people are nothing of normality, yet human. The scene being called the 'Smiling Family' makes a great connotation for the film. Their facial expressions add meaning to the scene, as they are statuesque, they do not move, so we as the audience start to over think and start to imagine different types of scenarios. Although we are focussing me on the female character, the male character has a distinct thrilling feel about him, even though he is blurred out. The camera angle makes him blurred so we can't see his identity, which makes us believe he is somebody mysterious and that maybe he links in with the thriller later on in the movie. Both shots are used so that we see that this is no ordinary family.
Picture of man with light to his face
The camera angle used here is a close up, focused on the actors face. This camera angle is used to showcase his fear and his confusion, as he isn't quite sure why this family seem to constantly be smiling. This camera angle creates a very different relationship with the audience, as we feel inside the film, like its reality, and that we are infant the character themselves. It makes us feel anxious and nervous towards him and his situation because we get a great insight of his feelings from his facial expressions.
Secondly, this shot is used to the side of hi face to emphasise his frailty, as they want it to be evidently clear that he is now in a serious situation. This all creates uncertaincy in the scene as we are now worried for the actor as we do not have any idea what this family are capable of.
Pic with three people on sofa
The camera movement used here is called tracking. It slowly moves towards the characters sitting in the sofa whilst the focus remained constant. We start to create a relationship with this scene as the more characters that are revealed, the more we feel uneasy and reluctant to find out what is going to happen next, due to such a great ordeal of suspense. We start to ponder and it makes us believe that something bad is going to happen as their facial expressions are blank yet threatening and confusing at the same time; which makes us fearful for the next scene.
The slow movements of the camera, create suspense and tension which makes the scene more interesting and dramatic, which is needed in a thriller film to make the audience relate to it better..
The distance being created connotes a sudden realisation of how alone the main character is in this situation. He has nobody to help him if he finds himself in any sort of danger. Where he has nobody to help him, we as the audience immediately want tot ry and help him, even though we can't save him from what is going to happen. The distance also makes us believe that as he is so far away from humanity and from everything, but for all we know he is yet closer than anybody thinks to finding out this mysterious thriller.
Picture of him in darkness
There are a few camera angles used in this shot, they include, Eye-Level angle, Steadicam and Close Up. The eye level camera angle is used to make us as the audience feel more engaged with the scene and the actor, as we see the fear in his eyes which are directed at us and the sudden realisation of danger on his face, which creates suspense and drama.
Steadicam on the other hand, is used as the camera is remained perfectly still, again so the relationship with the audience is dramatised, and we feel like we are in the danger position like the actor. This is because we are allowed to focus on the emotions of the actor and everything becomes more dramatised as we can start to relate to his feelings of fear and desperation, so this makes this scene more believeable.
Finally, the close up creates a realistic approach with the audience as we can really see the emotions on the actors face, which we then feel empathy for him as his eyes look like they are flooding with tears. The camera angle is being emphasised on him to make the emotions more realistic and obvious. I believe that he is the focus of this shot as the film creators are trying to make us relate to the man and feel what he is going through, which can make the scene more scary and more entertaining.
Wednesday, 11 September 2013
Research into Mis-en-Scene Miss Georgiou
In the blog I am analysing several different mis-en-scene elements within the typical thriller film clip. They include; Settings and Icononography, Costumes (Hair and Make-up), Facial expressions (Body Language), Positioning of characters and objects, Colour and finally Lighting. I am also going to be including the different types of camera angles used within the clip which helps create the thrilling mood throughout.
At the beginning of the scene we see many different Mis-en-scene elements as-well as camera angles. The setting is based in the home of the characters in the bedroom. The iconography here are the typical bedroom features such as the bed, bedside lamp and the wide open door. These both make the scene more realistic for the audience as it is based in a family house which connotes that anything can happen, even in the comfort of your own home. We as the audience start to feel a sense of reality what with the iconography and the setting as we aren't too sure what is going to happen next, it builds up certain expectations which we know are going to take a drastic turn or the worse.
The lighting used is very low key, many dark shadows are used to create the scarce feeling around us.This Mis-en-scene element is key to this scene as it creates a heart racing mood which makes us feel on the edge on our seat and our heart beat increasing.
The camera angle used here is an extreme long shot, as they mainly want us to focus on the background so that the importance of the character at this point is taken away and the setting can take its full effect.
This is all conventional to a thriller film as the mis-en-scene creates suspense and drama to the scene and they make the audience's level of anticipation higher which will make everything a lot more tense. The lighting is conventional to a thriller as the low key lighting creates tension with the dark shadows and makes the audience feel more scared, as the darkness makes everything less vivid, you cannot see everything going on around in the scene so the suspense is widened.
In this part of the scene, the positioning of the characters and the objects, as well as their facial expressions and body language are key to making this scene thrilling. The woman's face is showing expressionless emotion, she does not seem to be aware of the surroundings around her and doesn't seem to have much emotion in her face. Her facial expressions create a relationship with the audience as the camera angle (long shot) makes us feel like we are in the clip. We see her and the surroundings around us making us paranoid and it gets our heart beating faster and faster by the minute. The blank expressions also make us suspicious of what the character is thinking and feeling at this particular point. It makes the scene more enticing and makes us even more eager to watch and see what happens.
One of the most important Mis-en-scene elements used in this clip is the positioning of the objects and their body language. The woman is sitting up right, which connotes to the audience, something has disrupted her or something is disturbing her. Her body language is very statuesque so we start to elaborate on whats going to happen next. The canted camera angle has made the bed and the side table at an angle which suggests imbalance and instability with the characters and the scene.
This is conventional to a thriller as the facial expressions will make the acting more like reality, so that the audience can experience the different changes of the characters throughout the film. The facial expressions are conventional as they make the scene more intensifying which is needed in a thriller.
In this particular scene, the costumes, hair and makeup are not so evident into making the clip more of a thriller. The aim in this scene is to mainly focus on the reality and not the thrill.
The costumes are of the couple in their nightwear, which is making the scene more realistic and believable. It has given us an instant indicator of the characters personalities; although she is possessed we can tell she is just like every other human at bed time. We as the audience may believe she is just like everybody else, when in fact things are about to take a turn for the worse.
On the other hand, hair and makeup has not been used here in this scene as it makes it look more natural. The makeup is evidently not used to make her look paler and more ghost like, and her hair is naturally down which makes her look like she's been asleep. It makes us again feel uneven due to the realistic features. We as the audience feel like we are standing in the room giving us that heart stopping feel.
This is conventional to a thriller film as they make
The Mis-en-scene elements here are key to making this clip more dramatic. The main elements used are lighting, colour and body language. The denotation is black and white. This gives the scene a particularly frightening feeling.
The connotations are applied as it makes you feel frightened, like your in some sort o danger, even though its not a true story. It is making the scene more dramatic whilst reality is still within.
The lighting is very low key to give the sense of thrill and horror. Deep shadows are used in the background so we mainly focus on the woman standing in the doorway. As the audience our relationship changes with the clip. We now start to focus mainly on the character in the doorway so, because the light (high key) is focused on the woman we are now more engaged, so our suspicion is greater as we want to find out what is going to happen.
Thirdly, the characters body position is jagged, it is sharp and fixed. She looks determined to do damage to the object in front of her. It helps the scene more thrilling as in most thriller films everything is on point, petrifying and skin crawling, so this scene is defiantly spine tingling. The mis-en-scene element adds a certain twist to the typical thriller as although we suspect what is going to happen the lighting makes it more effective.
In this particular scene we constantly feel like we are within the bedroom of the couple. This picture shows us all mis-en-scene elements.
Firstly, the background and iconography are slightly far away and slanted (due to the canted camera angle) which makes us feel uneasy as we are exceeded of all expectations due to the woman being close up to the camera, only we know that things will be taking a turn or the worst.
Costumes, hair and make-up makes everything normal, when instead its the complete opposite. With the woman closely to the screen in her nightwear, we can feel normality and reality even though the scene is at its most critical point.
The woman's facial expressions here do not give anything away. She acts like nothing has happened. Her facial expressions has given us an indication of how she is feeling. This element is key to mis-en-scene and in this clip as we don't see much emotion on her face, she is expressionless, so it is obvious her mind has gone blank, and that her mind has been taken over. She doesn't realise the trouble she has caused at this very point.
The positioning of her body is straight forward towards the camera, when infact the camera has been tilted to a canted angle which makes her look unstable and un-respondable.
This really creates a relationship with the audience as we start to feel her emotion, she feels on edge and played due to the demon within her.
The colour and lighting again, is based in black and white to make it look like a real recording during the night and the lighting to focus on the expressions on the girls face. The deep shadows are focused in the background whilst the high key lighting is on the characters face. This connotes that the demon is actually on the outside of the character, that it isn't the real woman doing these nasty, cruel things; it is infact her inner self that gives her that light, that glow on her face. I believe it was used to show the contrasts between her two personalities.
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