Individual ideas for a narrative - Miss Georgiou

I am going to use examples from other films to help me with my research into making a conventional thriller film. I have been watching many thriller clips in class and had to do research of my own. I also used my own knowledge of what makes me jump and puts me on the edge of my seat to come up with ideas. I was inspired by both Scream and Se7en.

In Scream I really like the fact that the killer remains unseen during the opening. Although the victim and the audience never see the killer; he manages to strike fear into the hearts of the both. The killer uses only his voice over the phone to scare the woman. I want to take this one step further and not even have a voice from my killer and the only time you will see the killer is at the end of my clip where there will be a close up of his face. I also like the the idea of it being set in her house and her being alone.

The close up editing in the opening of Se7en brings mystery and suspense to the audience so I plan to use this sort of feature in the begining of my thriller opening. The woman will be cooking but it will use short close up editing and I won't use jerky clips and eerie sounds.

The camera angles I will use are

• handheld POV
• high angle (example: in Saw they use this to make the audience feel the victim is inferior and that something bad will happen to this character.
• Close up

The setting of my opening will be set in a normal house and the female victim will be home alone - this is conventional of thriller films since women are stereotypically weaker, easier to manipulate and more naïve then men are. She will be wearing yellow and black to signify danger and so she and the red blood will stand out. You will see her through the different camera angles and through the POV from the killer who is lurking in the house unaware. I am considering adding a struggle sequence within the opening to make the audience fear for this girl and wonder or no she will stay alive; however I cannot do this without the killers outfit being revealed which I was planning to do at the end of the clip with a close up of his mask. This would be followed by the dead body surrounded in blood and a close up of the knife which was used to murder her. Here are some illustrations that I roughly came up with signifying the scene.









My ideas and concepts may change based on the group I am put with and the ideas they have although I personally think this is a good idea and sticks to the conventions of thriller films. Budget may be a problem however I have the costume for the killer (this is why I chose this costume) and either me or someone else in my group would supply the setting. The blood would be made with fake blood capsules to create the blood pouring from the mouth effect and colour dyed water liquid to make the blood around the floor.

Research into the history of thriller films - Miss Georgiou

Thriller is a genre seen over many bodies of work such as literature, television and film. Thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, and television programming that uses suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements. Thrillers heavily stimulate the viewer's moods giving them a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, surprise, anxiety and/or terror. Thriller films tend to be adrenaline-rushing, gritty, rousing and fast-paced.  -  [Wikipedia]

Common sub-genres are psychological thrillers, crime thrillers, erotic thrillers and mystery thrillers and spy thrillers. Alfred Hitchock was the known as the 'Master of Suspense' who overlapped other genres like horror and action with thriller. An early example of one of Hitchcock's early films was 'The 39 Steps' (1935) - a Crime/Mystery film that gave some early elements of thrillers. The film is now a Comedy performance in London, Criterion Theatre. 

Hitchcock then made a revolutionary recovery in the film industry when he made 'Psycho' (1960). This thriller made a landmark in history with its amount of different cuts in the shower scene; which back then was a shocking thing to see in the cinema and had people screaming whereas now its unrealistic and not very frightening. He also broke the fourth wall in 'Psycho' deliberately for the shower sequence. 


Another one of Hitchcock's earlier great thriller films was 'Dial M for Murder' (1954). This film has been adapted from Frederick Knott's stage play.
'Peeping Tom'(196
'The French Connection' (1971)
'Blade Runner'(1982)
'Silence of the Lambs' (199

Thriller Conventions List

Sounds-creaking floorboards and doors, whistling winds, evil laughs, rustling leaves, hailstones, thunder, banging on doors, hacking (axes) , echoes, crackling tvsignals, cries and screams, heavy breathing, silence. Music- eerie and quite to build up tension- a change in tempo, very high pitch
Motifs- e.g. Shower scene ‘Psycho’, Very low pitch squeaking e.g. ‘The Shining’, Halloween-all recognisable tunes and used in other horror, sudden changes in tempo and dynamics, often orchestral instruments, violins ( squeaking and daunting), organs etc.

Characters-psychopaths, killers, monsters, beautiful girl (dansel in distress often blond), hero, stupid one who also does the wrong thing, ghosts, detectives, possessed people, cute children (often kidnapped), cowardly witness, bully, police, the best friend

Iconography- blood, gore, knives, axes, guns, night, dark, full moon, halloween mask, creepy low key lighting, silhouettes, dark, shadowy, shakey camera movements, bad weather, night time, moon, stormy,Camera would vary from CU to LS to establish surrounding and she scared , photographs, candles, long dark corridors, low angles, head lights of a car.

Setting- forest, haunted/isolated buildings-very remote, old houses, hotels, basements, attics, alleys, dark places, countryside, long empty roads, night time, castles, mountains, the ordinary-school, home.

Themes-fear, trapped, pursuit, gore, premonitions, jealousy, betrayal, mystery, lust, revenge, anger, death, secrets, lies, love, passion, obsession, torture, mind games, wilderness, obsession, grief, suprise

Props-dagger, masks, blood, candles, cloaks, bikes.

Narrative-chase sequence, being trapped, most die;only a few survive or escape, high body count, murder, stalking, powerless law, serial killers, enigma, supernatural, torture, fear of the unknown, no form of contact

Research into Editing - Miss Georgiou

Editing styles are used in all films to create effect to scare the audience in a thriller, to make a reaction from the audience. They create suspense and tension throughout the film, the editing styles are usually shown on the victim as they are the main character in the film.



A reaction shot is used from 0:44 to 0:54 when he sees the body on the table as he listens to the tape it jumps to the body and back to the victim. This is also known as a shot reverse shot. This is shown when he is holding the torch, this is to scare the audience and make them confused as they know that the main villain is dead yet his spirit or his ways are still living and causing all these problems and putting peoples lives on the line. This effects the audience as it creates tension and suspicion as to what will happen next, this is meant to scare the audience leaving them on the edge of their seat. The jump cut used in this part of the film is used to be a sort of element of surprise as you see a dead body laying there covered in blood on the table. In a film you will usually have jump cuts which involves the audience as if they are looking back and forth between the two bodies.

Between 1:29 and 1:40 slow editing is used when clips are put together at a slower paste, this is shown in this small clip when he walks through the small corridor holding the torch and gun. This creates tension and suspense as he slowly walks waiting for something to either jumping out on him or abducting him. This relates to a thriller as it creates suspense and tension with the audience as though they feel that they are in the film following this victim as though as he is the leader in this escape group. This creates suspense, also is makes the audience feel involved and feeling the fear radiating off of him. This slow editing involves the audience as if they are following the victim with the camera so if you are with him.

Between 1:55 to 2:05 they use a dissolve when one image is blended together with another image, also a jump cut is when the film suddenly focuses on something. This is used in this small part of the clip when he is knocked out and then his face is slowly enlarged when he is shown in a glass box, it dissolves when he is knocked out but suddenly focuses on him as he is on the box. This is meant to create suspense as you cannot see everything else around the box, only an empty box and his top half of the body. This relates to the audience as it creates suspense and tension as you slowly build up towards the scene where he is found in the cube, surprise is also in this clip as you can't see exactly what he is in until he starts to move around and start to panic. The dissolve to jump cut involves the audience as if they are walking towards the victim or being pushed towards them in a slow motion which creates tension as you see the picture come into focus. 

I am going to use these ideas when I am thinking of creative ways to make my thriller clip both conventional and create suspense for the audience. 

Tracking Shot

A tracking shot can be used effectively for the following reasons:

•   to follow a particular character

•   to give a feel for the surroundings

From research that I found I noted that continuous shots (long takes) has been around since film was invented as in those days they didn't have any edits. Alfred Hitchcock's 'Rope' (1948) was one of the first noticeable films to use long unedited takes (for story telling purposes).

"[Rope] was an entire film shot in real time created by seamless cutting together a series of long 8-10 minute shots made to look like one. In 1948 it was a bold and unprecedented experiment for Hitchcock. The film works because its takes place entirely in one room for 80 minutes, so there was limited movement and lighting changes."

I found 2 examples of tracking shots used effectively.

'Atonement' (2007)


This scene gives us an insight into life in the army during the time of the war. It is very powerful and emotive. It starts by following the central character (Robbie) walking along the beach taking in his vast surroundings. At the beginning of the shot he can smell the sea and so rushes in that direction as he believes he will be able to get a boat home. There is a CU of Robbie's face to show the shock of what he can see, the vast numbers of soldiers waiting around. The audience watching now follow Robbie as he walks through the crowds on the beach. This scene is less about seeing facial expressions, and more about establishing the surroundings around, and so LS's and MS's are used so that you can see a great deal more of the action. This scene is powerful as it shows the brutality of the war (horses being killed) but then also how the soldiers are just normal guys, looking for a way home (choir singing, swinging on carousel etc). The tracking shot makes the scene particularly upsetting and you see possibly thousands of soldier, most wounded and you feel a great amount of sympathy. I believe this is one of the most effective tracking shots as because it is so long (5 minutes) it allows to to conjure up lots of emotion, rather than perhaps lots of smaller shots of the beach. It slows the pace of the film tremendously, i believe, because it wants to make you think about the war and think about how it is affecting all these men. Also it helps to focus you and concentrate, as the beginning is made up of a series of flashbacks. From some pictures i have seen i think this was shot using a handheld camera.
(the scene is actually 5 mins long but is blocked on youtube - this was the best I could find!)

'Boogie Nights' (1997)



 

This particular tracking shot is used at the beginning of the film to establish characters and it's surroundings. It gives you a taste of whats to come in the rest of the movie. The very start has a very peculiar camera technique as it goes upwards, and then sideways to read the words on the sign. I liked this bit as it was quirky and fun. The scene shows the lively night life of this south California town. As someone, who appears to be the nightclub owner greets people, we are slowly introduced to the central characters. It shows a fun environment where everyone is connected and knows each other. Unlike the scene in Atonement, in which it is used to slow the pace down, this clip actually keep the paced relatively quick by using a variation of CU's, MS's and LS's.

Mise-en-Scene - Miss Georgiou

Mise-en-scene is a visual information in front of the camera which includes all the detail that is shown on the camera to create the effect and what the audience should think about the scene and the characters, and how they are presented. 

The five important points that shall be shown are: 

• Setting and Iconography
• Costume, Hair and Make up

• Facial Expressions & Body Language

• Lighting and Colour 

• Positioning of characters/objects within the frame

Setting and Iconography: 

Setting plays an important part in film-making and not just 'backgrounds' as they create the whole atmosphere and give us an idea of where the film may take place. In a thriller it will be most likely; haunted house, abandoned warehouse, graveyard or a forest at night.  Or in a romantic comedy it will be most likely; in a open friendly house, daylight, in a city, or office. Sometimes sets are either built from scratch for a fantasy film or a film that deals with parallel universe or world. Or they chose a setting that already exists and is used again and again.
       Although some settings can manipulate an audience by building up certain expectations that a film might be happy, and romantic and that in a particular scene everything will be fine, yet the scene may take a wrong turn and change and a fight may break out in a neighbourhood where everything is sunny and normal. 

Costume, Hair and Make up: 

Costume, Hair and Make up play an important part in Mise-en-scene as well as it is an instant indicator to us of a character's personality, status and job. When you see for example a black suit you can either think of a spy or a person attending a funeral, or if you see someone in a dress which has bright colours it creates a nice turn of showing that, that particular person is a nice and happy constantly. 

      Hair in a film is very important as it shows in a screenshot what happened to a person for example if the hair is messy then the it shows that there they either just got out of a fight or they just come out of a night out with a person, or if the hair is normal and neat then the character/person has just encountered a normal day and nothing interesting has happened yet. 

      Make up also shows what has happened to the person so if on an actress the mascara is smudge and she looks quite unattractive then it shows that she has just been crying and is quite upset. Or if the make up is done up proper then it shows that she has done herself up for a party or a date. In a fighting scene making is used to show blood and cuts on their face or body to show that there has been a large fight and lots of people have been either killed or injured. 

Costume, Hair and Make up tells us immediately whether the film is set in the present and what society/or culture it will centre around. 

Facial Expressions and Body Language: 

Facial Expressions provide a clear indicator of how someone is feeling and how they react to a news or something, also body language is used a clear indicator too to show what the character is doing and how it effects the scene. If in a fighting scene the main character would stand at a very confident stance, ready to react to whoever would take a first swipe or attack at the character. 

Lighting and Colour:

Lighting and colour is also important in a Mise-en-scene as it creates the atmosphere especially in a thriller as you use very dim lighting to create an eerie feel to the room and making us feel that we are actually in the room with the characters. The colour is also important as it is not right to have bright colours in a thriller or to have dark depressing colours in a romantic comedy, or just a comedy as it doesn't fit the mood. 

Positioning of Characters and Objects with a frame: 

Positioning of characters is very important in a Mise-en-scene as a character which is close up and in focus whereas a character behind them is blurred and out of focused shows that this person in the front is very important and a main character and should be focused on him more as he is more important than the blurred character in the background. 

Also the objects within the frame is important as the object is in the centre of the screen shot might be large and in focus where everything else around it is out of focused and not important as the actual main image. 

Summary:

For this summary of mise-en-scene I decided to look at 'Scream' (1996, Wes Craven). 'Scream' is now considered to be one of the best thrillers of all time, as it uses the techniques and follows the narrative of a classic thriller. One of the most important things in this scene to create tension is the telephone. I means that as the audience we are unable to see the killer which helps to build the suspense. It also makes the audience feel sorry for her. The scene takes place at the woman's house in which we learn she is all alone which makes her appear more vulnerable. The woman in this scene is blonde which is stereotypical for thriller movies - blond girls are supposedly innocent and common in all thrillers (one of the most famous thrillers, 'Psycho' 1960, has a blond victim, and 'Scream' is supposed to be an homage to classic thrillers and the thriller genre). The lighting changes half way through the clip very subtly becoming darker which makes it seem more deadly. This makes the audience build fear and tension while they are waiting for something to happen. The majority of the scene is shot at a MS of her character so we see her scared body language as well as her expression. She is always central to the shot to let the audience know she is the most important part of the scene. 

Research into Cinematography - Miss Miller

Cinematography

Cinematography is the variety of camera angles used in a film. The camera angles are used to either show the background or the facial expressions and body language of a character and manipulate the audience to relate to that person. 

Camera Angle Terminology

Low Angle - Camera is positioned below the object, making it look bigger

High Angle - Camera is positioned above the object, making it look smaller

Canted Angle - Camera is tilted to suggest instability and imbalance

Eye Level - Camera is positioned at eye level with the audience to make them feel more engaged with the scene

Camera movement Terminology

Crane - Camera is mounted on a crane to move around above ground level, can also move up and down

Panning - Camera moves from side to side to follow a moving object

Zooming in - Camera moves in to an object to create importance and draw the audience in to a closer relationship with the subject

Zooming out - Camera moves away to create an emotional distance

Handheld - This is used to create jerky and on steady images to produce a sense of urgency or chaos

Point of View - used to create the audience the same image as a character within the film

Steadicam - Camera remains level and steady as it moves around.

Camera Positions Terminology

Close up - Shows a smaller part of the scene to emphasise on something ( characters face and neck, filling the shot) 

Extreme Close up - an image fills the screen so that no background is seen

Mid Shot - Camera frames the actor from waist up

Long shot - Shows all of a larger object (eg Actor and a large amount of background)

Shallow shot - used to show main subject in film focus whilst the rest of the shot is out of focus/blurry

Deep focus - The depth this the audience can see the foreground, middleground and also the background all in one scene. the purpose of this is to show the audience the mis-en-scene of the film and also the different representation of characters.

Extreme Long shot - Camera is positioned at a further distance to minimize the importance of the subject and increase the importance of the background. 

The Shining (Kubrick, 1980)

This is the scene from a classic Stephen King thriller 'The Shining' 1980 directed by Stanley Kubrick. I chose this scene to look at the cinematography because it has a large variety of shot types and uses them for different effects. It also uses editing as a way of creating drama. 

• Tracking shot - The director uses a tracking shot to make it seem as if you are on the back of the boys bike and you see what he sees only when he sees it. This is conventional to a thriller genre because then the film starts to feel more realistic (see Tracking Shots). This is to make the audience feel as shocked as the boy and experience what he is feeling as he is feeling it. It also helps to create tension as he cycles around the corners, as we (the audience) do not know what he is going to see until he see's it.
• POV 
• Close up - 
• Mid Shot
• ELS
•