Researching your chosen genre - Psychological Thriller

 The Unusual Suspects

     The opening sequence of The Unusual Suspects consists of mainly panning and tilting the camera to set the opening scene of the film for the viewers. The initial shot is an extreme close up of a large amount of matches being lit. This connotes danger as once fire is created it is often difficult to control. The shot then switches to a medium close up of a man resting on a wooden box attempting to light a cigarette on another set of matches. This connotes deception as not everything is as simple as when you first see it, you have to wait for the bigger picture to arrive. The camera often tilts up and down to show the streaming of water, oil or fire and how it is spreading. This connotes how everything can surround you and the use of natural substances spreading where they would not normally be suggests that something disastrous is about to happen.

The sound used in the opening sequence is mainly diegetic. The first shot used features the sound of a match being struck and the flame inflating and then deflating again. This would be a familiar sound to the majority of the viewers. This then fades out and a light stream of water running down something is heard. This connotes purity and continuity as water is a natural substance and it is flowing. The burning matches are then dropped and they catch fire to a stream of oil running down what looks like a boat. There is a sound of flames travelling and ‘gushing’ which adds to the soothing sound of the water. The fire gets stronger and begins to crackle which also adds to the idea that ‘nothing is what it originally seems’. Non-diegetic dramatic music begins to play in the background softly. It is made up of what sounds like several faint violins being played. The sound of a man walking down metal steps breaks the soft sounds and brings the viewer back into the harsh genre. Two men then have a conversation. They speak softly and quietly however they both have relatively gravely voices. This adds to the soothing setting they appear to be in but also adds to the fire which is growing around them. Towards the end of the opening sequence a gunshot sounds from a distance followed by an increase in the non-diegetic music. This connotes mystery as tension is being built within the sequence.

The mise-en-scene consists of a boat filled with what looks like cargo. There are several wooden crates along with ropes. The use of a boat as opposed to opening with a setting on land adds vulnerability to the two characters who are introduced and how they are surrounded by endless amounts of water.

The editing is fluent and the transitions between each shot are smooth however some cuts are sudden to suggest that uncertainty and a fast paced storyline lies ahead. The lighting is dark however the use of some brightly lit elements such as the matchsticks before they have been lit suggests that this has been created during the editing process. The non-diegetic music was added to increase the tension as the volume varies throughout the two minutes. For example, towards the end the music becomes louder as the gunshot is fired. This suggests that the storyline is to only become more dramatic after this point.

Task 3 – Analysis of Momento

Momento is about a man who is determined to find justice after his wife was brutally raped and murdered, however his memory is somewhat hazy. However, to make this situation worse, he was beaten by the same man who killed his wife and now suffers from short-term memory loss so he cannot retain any new information therefore has to constantly take notes and refer to Polaroid photos. Although he has memory loss he is convinced the murderer is still walking the streets un-phased by what they have done. The husband is determined to find this man and getting revenge on him for the destruction he has caused on his life. He is helped by a sympathetic barmaid and his friend is suspected to be untrustworthy.

The main characters are Leonard Shelby who is played by Guy Pearce. Brad Pitt was the initial choice of actor for the role however he passed it due to scheduling issues. After this, Christopher Nolan decided to cast Guy due to his ‘lack of celebrity’ to make the film low budget with a cheaper actor. The character of Leonard was the wife of Catherine Shelby who was murdered by a burglar. Leonard wants to get justice for his wife however he suffers from short-term memory loss as he was also attacked by the same man.

The character of Natalie was played by Carrie-Anne Moss. She plays a waitress who is involved with Leonards hunt for revenge on the murderer of his wife. She was chosen for the role after she was seen playing ‘Trinity’ in the 1999 science fiction film, The Matrix as “She added an enormous amount to the role of Natalie that wasn't on the page".

The character of Teddy is played by Joe Pantoliano. He played Leonards friend who tries to help him find the murderer of his wife. Carrie-Anne Moss suggested Joe for the role after she had worked with him in The Matrix as the original choice of Denis Leary was unavailable to play the role. There were concerns that he would be too villainous for the role however these concerns were overcome once filming had began.

Almost the entirety of the film was shot in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley which is a popular place to shoot films as there is a large amount of film studios located there. The setting is dirty and damp. The motel used suggests that the plot will be of low profile. This is typical of the thriller genre as it is a mysterious setting and has a connotation of danger.

Researching Genre - Task 2

In my group we have discussed the different types of genre we could choose for our opening sequence to a film and we decided to use the genre of Psychological Thriller. We have chosen to work within this genre as it enables the audience to relate to the sequence as it addresses naturalistic aspects of life. This enables us to relate to the opening sequence and develop stronger ideas and put ourselves in the position of the viewers. The target audience of Psychological Thrillers is usually around the ages of 15-20 because they are at the age where they are learning that actions have consequences which is what this particular genre relates to.

Typical Aspects of the Thriller genre that we will be able to take into consideration when we plan our opening seqence are:

- Harsh/dark lighting (low lighting)

- Fast Paced

- High Budget (how we will create a good opening sequence with a low budget)

- High Tension

- Psycological

The conventions of a Thriller film may include are:

- Villain driven plot, presents obstacles for the hero to overcome. Much grander scale than murder mysteries: crimes that must be presented are serial or mass murder, terrorism, assassination or overthrow of the government.

- They often take place in exotic locations. (how will we overcome this to create a realistic psychological thriller?)

- Heroes in Thriller films are often 'hard men' accustomed to danger.

- Jump cute are used to disconnect the audience and intrude on the viewing.

We used these notes to decide on the theme we would use for our opening sequence. We will also be able to relate back to them in the future when we are planning, filming our sequence.

Researching Genre - Task 1

My group for the opening sequence coursework consists of:

Stephanie Ocampo - http://stephanieocampo.blogspot.co.uk/

and

Charlotte Boosey - http://charlotteboosey.blogspot.co.uk/

Evaluating the Preliminary Task

1)      For the preliminary task we had to film a short sequence involving character 1 opening a door, walking through it and coming out the other side then talking to character 2. We had to use match on action, shot reverse shot and abide by the 180-degree rule. We prepared for this by creating a story board of each shot we would use, ensuring that our camera was charged, and setting up the camera with a tape in it and sat on a tripod.

2)      We filmed each part of the task consistently checking that we were abiding by the 180-degree rule. We used match on action when switching from opening the door on one side and walking away from it on the other side. We used shot reverse shot in the conversation between Stephanie and I to enhance the conversation we were having. My role was to make sure that I was in the correct position in each scene from the last. This ensured that the continuity was smooth. We used a long shot to begin and then panned across the scene to end with a medium shot. We then used an over the shoulder shot in transition to a medium long shot once I had walked through the doorway. We concluded with a two shot paired with an over the shoulder shot. Stephanie and I sat at a table facing each other but turned slighting towards the camera to ensure that we could be seen clearly.

3)      I think that our final result was a clear response to our task however I believe that we could have ensure that the continuity was smoother by checking that any props were in the correct places between each shot to reduce the confusion of the viewer. I believe that our match on action was the strongest point of our final result as it included smooth transitions. The shot reverse shots were fit well as we used them in a conversation which allowed us to switch between character 1 and character 2 and allowed the dialogue to flow smoothly. I think we worked well as a group as we were able to put all our ideas of how we wanted to film our scenes and develop them to create a well-structured end product.

I feel confident using Imovie as I was able to play around with the editing of our sequence which allowed me to learn how to use it with ease. I feel confident on how to use the camera however I believe that I need to concentrate on the filming itself so that each piece of work I produce is of a high standard.

Analysing the semiotics in the film ‘Psycho’

The shower curtain in this scene is pulled across to represent the detachment of her life and how she won’t survive to cross the barrier back into her day to day life once she is trapped behind it. The haziness of the curtain is used to confirm the hazy hope of a future she plans to have fading away. Her grey silhouette connotes the dark and negative murder that is about to take place. The crinkles in the shower curtain add to the sense of reality in this scene and make the viewer’s realise that they too go through the day to day ritual of washing but don’t experience the murder she went through.

                The point of view shot is used to indicate to the viewer that the last thing the woman positively sees before she is brutally murdered is the pure and clean water pouring from the shower. This symbolises the innocence her character represents in the film and adds a sense of reality to the scene as it makes the viewer’s realise that they could easily find themselves in the same situation as her and staying alive or dying is purely down to luck. The point of view shot on the shower head also draws the attention away from the surrounding location to shock the viewer’s more when her shower is disturbed.

Christopher Nolan Interview

I have created an interview of Christopher Nolan talking about how he entered the film industry and worked his way up. It includes the Batman franchise and Inception.