Thriller opening (Storyboard)

Treatment

Black backdrop fills the shot. The sound of vehicles passing floods the darkness, a passing car interrupts the pitch black as we are taken to a gloomy overcast. Opening with a pathetic fallacy, clouds cover the sky. Revealed central frame complimented with a long shot, a nerve stricken boy stands. Simplistic clothing masks the complexity of the emotions running through the characters mind. As if his life depended on it, clutched to his chest is a common backpack, the contents of which is masked from the viewer. The boy starts to look around, the camera, using disorientating angles (mixes of extreme close ups and mid shots) is used with a handheld style to show the anxiety of the character as well as the situation.

The purpose behind this shot is to create an exposed insight into the character. By using different points of view/angles to shoot the character we are constantly reminded of the disorientation the character feels. The use of quite a gloomy, natural light enforces the tone and atmosphere of the opening. Revealing quite a slow paced shot to start with, an initial tension is created among the introduction of the character. However, as the scene progresses the pace of the action soon follows suit.

The influences behind our opening come from a number of well-known thriller productions. The first, concerns the use of the visual affect from a handheld camera, coming from the Bourne Trilogy we are trying to recreate the unsteady/uneasy feeling in which is shown within the movies. The slow paced start was inspired by the opening of Casino Royale as we have the suspension from the action. By doing this, enigma is created and the action can be progressively introduced throughout rather than all in one go. The concept of the character running from someone is influenced heavily by the film Chatroom. Coming from a psychological thriller it isn’t your stereotypical chase scene, however the key concepts are still there. Not only does this create thrill within the scene it also helps to establish more of the storyline. Another film influencing our opening is that of Essex Boys. A certain shot that is used within the opening of this movie has proved most useful. The shot I am referring to is that of when two characters are in a car travelling through a tunnel and we see the drivers face shadowed with a cross pattern. This is foreshadowing certain events that are soon to come, instead of completely replicating the shot we have adapted it. We have taken the concept and chosen to place the character in front of a fence. Not only does this give a sense of entrapment, but by shooting him from behind we could also be foreshadowing a life behind bars in the future. The final film we have used to influence our work is used in association with the transitions between shots. In the celebrated style of Layer Cake, in our opening we have chosen to use the environment to transition between shots. For example: Our first shot of a car driving past reveals a boy standing in a long shot. As another car drives past the boy is completely hidden, and as the car drives away the boy is revealed again however this time in a mid shot.

What do directors seek to establish in the opening of thrillers? (unfinished)

With every opening of a film it has to be able to make the viewers interested and into the movie straight away, so then the rest of the movie gets good expectation from the audience. A 'interesting' opening comes from make the audience intrigued to see the rest of the movie, directors use certain techniques to do this such as introducing some of the characters and maybe even show key parts of what the story is about. Another great way is to make the opening have a voice-over which can then talk about about the characters story which works well because if the shots aren't that interesting the voice-over does keep you on track. With some openings all it takes is to thrill the audience, to do this directors use maybe chase scenes or actions scenes etc.

An example of an interesting and thrilling opening would be from Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. The film starts off with Bacon (Jason Statham) illegally sell products on the side of a street, which leads to the police noticing and chasing him which has already created a sense of excitement to the audience. The chase is also well shot as it uses a handheld shaky cam affect as he runs towards and past the camera.

The next shot is very creative and unique as it parts of the shot are in slow-motion, for example the second man Eddy (Nick Moran), comes into shot fast from around the corner and hits the wall in slow-motion. These kinds of edit are very well done and give the shot a lot more variety which makes it more exciting. Another part of the scene that uses slow-motion is the part as Bacon throws the suitcase of items towards Eddy which leads to the suitcase opening and the items go flying. Again the use of slow-motion in this scene is great as if it wasn't in slow motion it would of looked a bit chaotic, where as now it looks cool. The slow-motion also works amazing with the music in the background (Ocean Colour Scene - Hundred Mile High City) because of how fast and exciting it is.

L.A Noire: How does it use features of film noir?

L.A Noire is a neo-noir crime video game made and published by the very popular and well known Rockstar Games, the game is focused around a man name Cole Phelps who begins working for the patrol desk in Los Angeles, and the idea of the game is that he gets promoted through the five departments. The game is heavily focused around the themes and aspects of film noir which are shown throughout various cut-scenes and gameplay.

Specifically in the opening, the game uses various features that can be seen in popular noir films such as LA Confidential, where the opening of the film pans over Los Angeles with a voice-over and talks about the people and city etc. The game takes a very similar approach and is almost identical. The music in the background is also a good feature as its quite suitable for the time that the game is based in with its simple piano and saxophone parts. Again the music is similar to the LA Confidential opening music and its the same era.

Even before you get into the game, it shows off even more aspects of film noir with the menu screen. To begin, the menu is all black and white and uses this to bring out and amplify the shadows and lighting, the options that are available are laid out as  if they are a shadow on the wall. This is perfect for the theme of noir as a lot of the time people are displayed as a shadow by the minimal use of lighting when filming and is a great way to show different sides to a character. Its also good to show them as mystery. The menu can also be compared to The Third Man, as it resembles various scenes from the movie, such as the beginning of the chase scene towards the end of the film. The shots are almost identical in the way that the camera is slightly tilted, there's one light source coming from a lamppost, and the use of the vanishing point down the long alleyways. The use of the figure coming from the light and smoke is also implemented into the menu of L.A Noire which uses the car lights to do so.

The costume is a great feature of L.A Noire as they do a great job to get it just right with the era and style. The most common costume in the game is the suits as most of the characters you come to meet are police officers and detectives and in that time and today people working with the law or people with good jobs tend to wear suits to look professional and smart. The other piece of clothing is the hats, which are also worn by nearly all the people you meet in the story. From police hats to bowler hats the variety is key to the specific time period.

Moodboard

Moodboard on Prezi

If Thrillers Were A Tube Map…

The Jollie Metro ( Julian and Ollies Tube Map)

Key:

Red / Voice over
Orange / Gangster heavy
Grey / Claustrophobia
Blue / Gangster light

The tube map is a way of presenting the different themes and things found in films in the genre of thriller. The idea is that the four lines are different themes and the stations are the films that have these themes. Its a very great and unique way of present something because its a lot more interesting to look at. 

Submarine - Trailer Analysis

The film Submarine is a British drama/comedy about a boy who has two goals before he turns 16, to have lose his virginity and keep his parents together. The film is played out as if he is talking to you about his live and that he is commentating over parts of it. The film is written and directed by the popular actor Richard Ayoade, he has played in many TV shows such as the IT Crowd. Oliver Tate, the main character is played by the talented Craig Roberts and Yasmin Page as Jordana Bevan. In my opinion, the trailer to this film shows off to much of the film which could ruin it for some people but other than that, the trailer was very interesting and include some interesting parts of the film.

This part of the trailer sums up pretty much was the film is about, love between these two and also love between the his parents. This shot is interesting as it not a typical love scene where as the setting in this one is quite dull as its under a train track which shows the originality that this film brings along with its indie style. The shot is also unusual as it includes the lens flare from the camera which again fits in with the originality of the shots and themes used from the film. 

In this particular such it gives the idea that the film is being told by himself as a story of his life.  It is done in a way that he is commentating the past events of his life as if he is showing/telling a film crew as he mentions in the film. The idea that he is narrating his life gives the film more depth and makes the story telling more interesting rather than just the story being played out.

The final shot focuses on showing the true Britishness of the film with Oliver standing on the sandy coast, with a cloudy sky and the dull colours around him. The shot also links in with the indie theme as it uses the unique and more original colours and themes to create quite an unusual yet fascinating film and story.

The soundtrack to this film is the best part of the film as it is such an interesting and brilliant collection of songs written and produced by Alex Turner, the lead man in the popular British band Arctic Monkeys. The songs fit perfectly with the moods and themes produced by the film and give the film so much more brilliance towards the way its filmed and edited. The soundtrack was perfectly chosen as the film has gained extra popularity from Alex Turner which also created a brilliant album towards.

How Has Working Title Adapted its Films And Marketing For Different Audience?

Working Title over the years has become a huge production company for the UK films industry, producing amazing films such as Atonement and Pride and Prejudice. Recently Working Title was bought by Universal Studios and since then has been making a lot of new and creative films. With the film business at an all-time high, companies have had to adapt the genre of films they make to a broader audience to generate a higher income, whether it is changed from independent film/genre to a more mainstream one.

Working titles started with my beautiful laundrette, a small-scale independent movie. Its budget was 650,000, and managed to generate 2.5 million incomes. With an independent film, this is a nice income, but it wouldn't be able to sustain a film company long term, so the change to a more mainstream type of movie making was needed.

Working titles breakthrough success was 4 weddings and a funeral, a rom-com, which could be seen as a more mainstream genre. It launched the career of Hugh Grant to new heights, and collaborated with working titles numerous times after as he went on to star in Notting Hill, Bridget Jones Diary and Love actually, 3 very popular rom-coms. The Coen Brothers are two of the high profile directors, that working title worked with. There films, based upon a lot of dry humour, were a huge success, with the Big Lebowski and Intolerable cruelty. It also meant that working title worked with high-end stars like George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

The trailer for ‘Mr Beans Holiday’ was a great step for the movie as it is able to bring in a lot of new young audiences to the movie with also having the old fans of Mr Bean. With trailers such as ‘Love Actually’ it showcases the popular actors that are in the film which get people intrigued about the film, with actors such as Hugh Grant and Keira Knightley, with their most success films, it’s able to get the viewers from those films to experience a change of film.

To increase the amount of audience, working title has also expanded to make famous and well known books into films, such as the Russia novel Anna Karenina. The popular title from the writer Leo Tolstoy was recently made into a film by working title which included big name actors such as Kiera Knightley, Jude Law and Aaron Johnson. The film was given much success of the originality of the settings and editing which really boosted the image for Working Title.

Working title films have also been added to the new systems of VoD around such as Netflix and LoveFilm. These processes make it able to watch films on demand from your computer, laptop, TV etc. this is good for Working Title as it will be advertised around the services so more people will be intrigued to watch them, this is also a great way to advertise the company as it will mention it in the video description and will also advertise the similar films from the company. Although these services get more publicity for the film and company, the films might not get as much money as the people will wait to see it then instead of watching it in the cinema so they lose a bit of money as the service wouldn’t give as much money back. 

Preliminary Task

The Third Man - Sewer Scene

The final scene at the end of The Third Man is a very memorable scene for the history of film noir as it's such a creative and imaginative scene, with the maze like sewers and the intense chase really make it a great scene. The sewer scene has everything to do with film noir as it has all the key themes and techniques all together such as the shadows of people running and the minimal light around each tunnel.

This shot is one of my favourites as it is such an claustrophobic and tight shot which really shows how small the staircase is and the feeling of being trap in this place like the maze it is. Also with the shadows of the bars could also give the idea that he is trapped in this place and that he's not leaving alive. 

In this next shot it shows the police chasing down the man into the further part of the sewers, and what's clever about this shot  is how they have made it so that the police are chasing a shadow, which makes it more interesting to watch as they could be trying to make this guy seem as a dark and shady man which he is. Also the way that the shadow gets bigger against the wall adds variety into the shot.

This is an interesting shot as uses different camera shots to make the scene much more enjoyable than it is, for one it uses the rule of third to to make the the top right of the shot the key part, the shot is also on a tilt which gives it more variety and makes it more of a tight and disorientating shot to watch.

This shot again, uses the rule of third to make the shot feeling like your there, hiding and watching what goes on with the chase. The shot is makes for good story telling as it shows the fear and exhaustion on the man face. Also the lighting makes it so that most of his face is hidden away from the light showing that he is a dark and shady character.

This last shot is one of the best shots in the film as it concludes the film and shows the fact the he is trapped and there's now way out from what he has done. The way the light amplifies his body in the shot also is affective and the way that the light at the end of the tunnel isn't even an option for the man really ends the film well.

Conventions of Film Noir

Although film noir technically isn't classed as an genre, the range of styles, feelings and themes that film noir produce make an amazing film type to watch. Film noir usually focuses on bring out dark and mysterious moods and tell a story very enigmatically. Not only are the stories told with a lot of thought, film noir brings out a lot of unique styles when shooting with the use of one light source, the big and strong shadows and the claustrophobic tight areas.

The biggest part of any film noir would be the obscure and ambiguous story lines that leave you amazed and stunned at the end of any film. The stories are usually about a couples betrayal, or a deceit of a friend which lead to unthinkable endings to the stories. Generally the story revolve around mobs of gangsters as well because of the era the films are created or based on, which lead to crime and investigation stories. When it comes to the police officer, he usually isn't the kind of guy you would expect him to be and would have sides of evil and shame in them.

As the stories in film noir are quite dark and mysterious its fitting to have deep shadows and minimal light to bring out darkness in some characters and to put people in the shadows who might of done wrong. A typical scene that focuses a lot on the lighting would be in some alleyway with only light coming from a lamppost, these scenes are a perfect example of how lighting is used because you are focused to what is happening in the light, and with the shadows they get amplified on to a wall or the floor which give the scene more depth and ideas about the characters. The idea with the light also means that you can hide part of a persons face, doing this can give people an idea that there's two sides to this person and that one side might be dark and evil person compared to the light and honest man.

In this particular scene from the film 'The Third Man' it has a range of interesting things in it that link to the conventions of film noir. Firstly in the shot nothing is centred and uses the Rule of Thirds to give the scene more variety. In the shot, it has the shadow of the man running on the far left side of the shot and to the right of the shot it has the one light source coming out from the archway. Secondly, the shot is very low to the ground and is pointing up to the shadow on the wall, the shot is also on a tilt which brings a variety in the shot and a sense of disorientation with the man running.

To conclude, the themes and moods that film noir creates are very tense and exciting but at the same time creates an enigma and leaves you feeling disorientated and surprised. All this is done by the use of the imaginative story lines, and the unique use of the light and shadows.

Setting and Costume in Film Noir

As film Noir started in the early 1950's, the settings and costumes used in the films tend to be quite old fashioned smart suits and hats, and old glowing lampposts and smart cars. With the costumes it helps to bring out the year, with the women wearing quite long silky dresses and having curly big hair, it fits in with the old fashion. And with the setting it tends to set the scene as a dark film, and show a sense of mystery which fits as most noir films tend to be about crime and investigation.

In this picture it shows the common clothes that a typical women would were in that time and in a noir film, the smart, white, silk dress with the women's long curly hairs represent that she could be quite an innocent character towards the story and would probably play the part of the victim in the story. the dress works well as it also shows the character as a wealthy person and could maybe play the part as an actress or movie star. in typical men wear, they would wear smart respectable suits and ties, and maybe even bowler hats for people with more power and money. the suits and hats are more for the working men in the films usually who play investigators or police as they have to look smart for the job.

The typical setting in a noir film would be like this road in the night, with maybe a few people talking anonymously under a glowing old fashioned lamppost  this setting or parts of it a commonly used in films to create a very dark shady scene which could be where the crime took place or is part of the mystery. the lamppost is a great part of the scenery as it can be used as the only light source in the shot so that you can easily manipulate the lighting so that you can make someone seem quite shady by not giving the much light, or can give someone a glow of light from behind them to amplify them and show that they have more power.

Film Noir Collage

I chose all these specific pictures as i think they represent film noir the most with for example, the costumes people wear such as the suits and long dresses, and the big curly hair and the hats. the pictures also represent the use of shadows in film noir with just the one light source making the big dark shadows against the walls and floor.

Casino Royale - Film Noir

Unlike other very popular and highly famous James Bond films, Casino Royale brings a bit of variety into the opening scene of the film as it portrays it in a film noir style. As Daniel Craig's first bond movie its like they're trying to bring out a darker side with him and the important parts of film noir such as deep shadows and tight shots really do set the scene. Film noir is such a unique style of film and can make a film  become very deep and real, but film noir as been fading away and Casino Royale bring it back very well.

The shot i would like to talk about is the very opening scene, the shot has particular things about it that are perfect and very popular in other noir films to have in a scene, such as the mist coming from the drain, and the lamppost giving of the only light in the shot. having these features makes the shot almost cliché as these are the sorts of things you see in old noir films and very early films, but having them together with modern architecture fits nicely.

The second shot focuses on this mysterious man, keeping with the theme the shot has not a lot of light and is very dark on one side of his face to show that there could be two sides to this guy or just to hide the guy to tell you he could be trying to hide in the shadows. The shot also is quite low and views the guy with power and maybe leadership as he could own the building in the background. And finally the shot is slightly tilted which be trying to show that the is being quite shady and sly.

Although this is quite a short shot it has a lot of noir features init which, again build on the dark opening to the film. The shot at first is a bit disorientating as there are several things in the way of the focus of the shot, the shot almost looks like it is taken under a table and after that the is a lamp taking up part of the shot. not only that, the shadows take up a lot of the shot which makes it very dark and makes the man walking in still shady.

Again with this shot it is taken up with mostly a lamp which even though is clearly on, doesn't give of much light in the scene and still puts a shadow on the mans face. The use of this much of the shot taken up by the lamp seems a bit to much in my opinion but the shot does well to show that maybe the man is in a dangerous position at this moment in time due to James Bond being in the room.

With this final shot it focuses on the gun about to be pull out of the draw. with this shot it combines all of the techniques I've talked about previously to make a perfect noir shot, for example it uses the dark shadows to only show half of the contents of the draw and has the table and the other surroundings to block out the full view of the draw to bring in some suspension, with it also being a classic noir shot it adds in its own little things such as a electronic gadget to show that its a new film but still has the noir theme.

How To Shoot A Conversation

The best way to shoot a conversation is simply to use the right shots, by using some of the shots it creates the  surroundings of the conversation and builds on making the shot more interesting because some people might get bored of simple dialogue. When filming a conversation usually there will be only one camera involved meaning that you would take 4 different shots, the master shot, character 1, character 2 etc. and pick up shots. when two cameras are involved though, you would only take two shots, the master shot and pick ups with one camera, and character 1, character 2 etc. with the other.

The master shot is the shot that would be the main part which focuses on both of the characters along with the surroundings and anything else that would be need in the shot. most of a conversation scene would use the master shot shots, but using the other shots give variety and makes it more interesting for the viewers. this example of an master is from the newly release film 'Looper' where the main character (Joe) is talking to his older self in a diner. In this situation they would film the of scene like this all in one take so that the have a main shot were they can then film and add extra shots in to it. Unlike many other master shots, this one is focusing on them at an angle almost like an over the shoulder shot.

The shot used in the scene is the character 1 shot, were it focuses on one of the particular characters as they speak or show some sort of emotion when spoken to. These scenes help to understand who is the one talking and focusing on the face of the person is a good way to show of the characters facial expresses which can lead to people think they are lying or are worried etc. This  particular film uses the character shot more effectively as it is also an over the shoulder shot, which is a very famous and well known way of putting variety in to a film, doing this also gives you the feeling of actually being there and being spoken to which can build up the tension when watching and understanding the film. The character 2 shot, is very similar as it uses all the same techniques including over the shoulder.

The final shot i want to include is the final part of the scene which is a pan shot. the pan shot goes across the diner as the older Joe drags Joe of over the table and knocks him out, although this shot is moving it does still  involve all the over shots such as, the over the shoulder shot at the start of the pan and the master shot of the two characters and the diner with all the over surroundings.this is a great shot and a brilliant shot to include in a conversation scene as it gives the final piece of variety which you can then move on with to different scenes in the film. another great thing about this scene and all the shots is that the 180-Degree rule never gets broken so it still gives the scene some structure so you don't get confused.

The Dark Knight Rises

Dark Knight Rises

Camera Angles Explained

How to shoot people walking

Shoot people walking in films can be a key part of a film as it can give the audience an idea of the character(s) straight away, by using different songs in the background, to making the character walking with confidence or shrugged etc. not only these ways but camera shots are a key way to shoot people walking as you can show a different side to characters by for example, focusing on the feet to show the character is walking quite slow or fast, and shooting the face of the character with an angle pointing up from the ground to show they can be powerful or strong.


the most commonly used way to shoot people walking is to track them using a tracking shot or crab shot, by doing this you not only see the characters but also the environment around them which helps the audience to know where they are and there surroundings. For example, the opening to Reservoir Dogs, introduces the characters of the film by using certain camera shots such as panning across the characters one by one and and tracking the group as the walking down the road.


Another affective method of shooting people walking is to stick to the 180-degree rule, the rule states that when film a scene such as this you always stick to a 180 degree radius of the group and to not 'cross the line', by doing this it makes it easier to follow what's going on and keeps the scene in more order. although this rule is affective, it can also work without it with scenes such as Kill Bill and the arrival of O-Ren Ishii into the club, although this scene uses all of the great techniques such as jump cuts with the music and panning of the group it does break the 180-dregree rule which shows that its not always needed in films.

To conclude, the way to shoot people walking is techniques and variety, without these it can get quite boring for the audience in a scene such as introducing a character and it can give the wrong impression of the character. variety is the key as it can make the scene much more interesting and entertaining to watch.

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Introduction

Hi, im Ollie Towler-Jones and this is my media blog