This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
1. ANALYSIS OF SIMILAR TEXTS Thriller Genre
2. PSYCHO ANALYSIS Psycho is a film that I have chosen to
analyse. Although the clip I analysed was not an opening scene it
helped me to establish elements of camerawork and sound that I can
use or chose not to in my own opening scene. To represent the
thriller genre. Psycho was released in 1960 and was directed by
Alfred Hitchcock. It comes under the hybrid genres of thriller,
horror and mystery. It is rated age 18, which means that it must
contain some very strong violence and gore. As I can also see this
from the small clip I analysed. I have chosen to analyse this film
because I think the use of camerawork and sound are successful at
showing common conventions of the thriller genre.
3. CAMERAWORK USED IN PSYCHO The camerawork in this clip is
used to create feelings and attitudes that are common in the
thriller genre. For example the theme of danger and death are very
common and this can be seen in the clip from Psycho when the woman
is killed in the shower. The feeling of danger is created when an
establishing shot is used, this gives the audience knowledge that
there is a manly figure behind the shower curtain before the woman.
This creates danger because the audience are able to realise that
something bad is about to happen. Another common feeling in the
thriller genre is suspense, this is created in this particular clip
through the use of a zoom out shot. For example when the woman is
laying on the floor there is a close up of her eye, as her eye is
open the audience will believe that she is alive. Then it starts to
zoom out, thats when the realisation comes that she is not blinking
and she is dead. This creates a feeling of suspense because the
audience are following the action and they are intrigued.
4. SOUND USED IN PSYCHO The sound used in psycho is also used
to create feelings and atmospheres that a relatable to the thriller
genre. For example in this clip there is a use of digetic sound.
When she is in the shower the sound of the water is loud so it sets
a natural setting. This creates a feeling of realism for the
audience because they feel as if they are there in the situation.
This makes the audience feel scared because they feel empathy for
the character of they realise that it could potentially happen to
them. Fear is a common theme in the thriller genre. The other kind
of sound used was non digetic theme music. When the male character
opens the curtain, the music starts playing it is very
uncomfortable along with the sound of the woman screaming. This
makes the audience feel uncomfortable and helpless towards the
character and therefore creates a feeling of tension. Throughout
the rest of the film, if the audience hear that theme music they
will think of the man that killed her. Which again triggers fear
and tension.
5. HOW IS THE NARRATIVE SET UP IN THE OPENING SEQUENCE? In this
opening sequence, the location is located immediately. An
establishing shot is used to show the audience a city setting, full
of tall buildings, offices and banks. During this establishing shot
there is a zoom in to one of the buildings into a window, from the
window there is a gunshot which smashes the window. This shows the
audience straight away that there is a disaster. This portrays to
the audience that something bad is going to happen.
6. HOW IS THE NARRATIVE SET UP IN THE OPENING SEQUENCE? In the
opening sequence the identity of the main character is not revealed
to the audience straight away, however they are following his
journey. For example the first sighting of him is from the back and
his face is kept hidden by a clown mask. The audience is then
following his movements from the high street to the bank as he is
in the car. The characters identity is not revealed until 5 minutes
in when he finally takes the mask off. This is creating a feeling
of suspense.
7. HOW ARE THE MAIN CHARACTERS INTRODUCED IN THE OPENING
SEQUENCE At the beginning of this clip there are 2 different
characters wearing clown masks and holding guns. These clown masks
are consistent throughout the whole clip and towards the end of the
clip an overall total of 6 characters can be seen wearing them. All
of these characters play an important role in the bank robbery. The
use of the guns represent the characters as dangerous criminals
along with the masks to hide their identities shows the audience
that the clowns are the antagonists.
8. HOW ARE THE CHARACTERS INTRODUCED IN THE OPENING SEQUENCE?
There is a zoom in effect used to show the audience the first
glimpse of one of the main characters. For example there is a man
with a with his back to the camera, dressed in black and holding a
large bag. The large bag represents he is the ring leader of the
clowns and is most likely the one to be leaving with money after
the bank robbery. The colour black connotes a dark, scary person
which also reinforces the idea of him being the leader of the
antagonists. The most important part in this clip is the zoom into
the clown mask he is holding in his left hand. The zoom represents
that this mask is significant and makes it memorable for the
audience so they are able to recognise it later on in the clip.
This shows that he is an important character and is definitely one
of the main characters. At the very end of the clip, the man
wearing this mask is seen. After shooting the manager of the bank
there is a low angle shot where he removes the mask. Revealing to
the audience he is the character of the Joker. Those who have
watched the first film will know he is the main antagonist in the
Batman films.
9. HOW IS THE THRILLER GENRE ESTABLISHED? The thriller genre is
represented through sound. For example there is a lot of digetic
sounds used, such as glass smashing and gun shots whilst in the
bank. This creates realism and therefore sets a feeling of danger
for the audience. As this makes them feel more involved with the
action and they begin to feel scared because it is a dangerous
situation. There is also a use of theme music to create a feeling
of disaster. For example in the very beginning of the clip there is
a climatic theme music used, this same music is used at the end of
the clip when the joker reveals his identity. This means that the
audience will recognise that music the second time and get the
feeling once again that something bad is going to happen. The
feeling of danger and disaster is consistent throughout the genre,
this is one of the ways genre is established.
10. CONCLUSION In this clip I learnt that the location and the
idea of something going wrong is established very quickly. However
the identity of the main antagonist is hidden whilst all of this is
being introduced. The conventions of thriller genre are seen quite
consistently in this clip. I found the narrative structure
interesting in this clip, because it challenges Propps narrative
theory. This is because usually in the opening a normal situation
will be introduced (an equilibrium) and then it builds up to a
disaster. However in this opening sequence it starts off with a
disaster, which could suggest that it might be a flashback. I like
the idea of a flashback or a disaster before the equilibrium
because it is different. This also makes the storyline more
interesting, I think I will use this idea in my own opening
sequence.
11. SHUTTER ISLAND ANALYSIS I have chosen to analyse the
opening sequence of Shutter Island. The film is set in 1954 however
it was released in 2010 and directed by Martin Scorsese. It has an
age certificate of 15 and comes under the hybrid genre of Mystery
Thriller. This is the hybrid genre I aiming for in my own
production, I also have a target audience of 15-25 years old. This
analysis will help me with my own production.
12. HOW IS THE NARRATIVE SET UP? In this clip we can see the
location through the use of an establishing shot. For example we
are able to see a lake or a river, somewhere surrounded by
greenery. This shows the characters are in a remote place. It is
highly protected as we can see many police officers guarding the
area. Therefore the audience are unaware and intrigued to find out
where they are. We also learn the characters are on a journey to
somewhere hidden. This can be seen through the use of camerawork.
For example there are close ups of barbed wire around the building,
there are also POV shots of the car driving up the driveway. The
impact of the POV shots shows the emphasis of how many gates there
are. All the gates are guarded by police officers as well. This
shows the audience that the characters are on a journey to
somewhere hidden and perhaps dangerous.
13. HOW ARE THE MAIN CHARACTERS INTRODUCED? In this clip we can
see two men that stand out from the rest. They are wearing hats and
long coats, this suggests they are authoritative figures with high
paid professions such as doctors or detectives. We also learn that
one of these men is more important than the other, he is the main
character Teddy Daniels. The camerawork is used to show this. For
example there are close ups of his face, this makes the audience
recognise him. The use of two shots also show him as the more
important character. For example in any two shots, Teddy is closer
to the camera or in more focus than the other. This suggests to the
audience that he is the bigger, more important character and
therefore the main character of the film.
14. HOW IS THE THRILLER GENRE ESTABLISHED? In this clip the
thriller genre is established through the use of theme music. For
example throughout the opening sequence there is a dramatic,
mysterious music being played. This creates suspense for the
audience because they are following the journey of Teddy however
they are unaware of where they are going. The music adds to the
suspense. The feeling of suspense is commonly seen in the thriller
genre, dramatic theme music is also a convention of the thriller
genre. The genre can also be established through the Mise En Scene.
For example, there is low key lighting throughout the clip which
creates a dark tone. The setting is scary, the audience can clearly
see that anyone inside the building is a threat and has to be
locked away. This can be seen from the barbed wire and multiple
guarded gates, connoting a mental institute or a prison. This shows
the audience that the characters are in a dangerous location and
creates an uncomfortable feeling. The dangerous setting and low key
lighting are always found in the Thriller genre.
15. CONCLUSION In this clip, the narrative and characters are
established quickly however not completely. The location, storyline
and characters remain a mystery to the audience even though they
can be seen. I find the introduction of Teddy interesting because
the audience are unable to tell whether he is the protagonist or
the antagonist. This challenges Toderovs theory because he believes
that there a noticeable differences between characters. This adds
to the mystery element of this film. I like the idea of the
audience not knowing about the character or the plot, so I plan to
interpret this into my own production.