Effects of Certain Narratives

Thriller Film Notes - Panic Room

§  Opening sequence established the location by showing a zoomed out shot of the town.

§  Lots of stairs and mirrors in the set as well as many blind and unknown corners.

§  Clever use of the camera to give shots as if the viewer was the security cameras. – masking

§  Good use of sound and lighting together to make lights flicker with ‘electric’ sound effects. – gives feeling of suspense and tension

§  Almost the whole movie is played out in a dark, enclosed atmosphere.

§  Focus of the film is on one thing, the safe which is in an enclosed room. The mystery is how the robbers intend to gain access.

§  Involves governmental forces, the police.

§  Involves violence, although not a lot, as well as the use of guns late on in the film.

§  Camera shots that go through the various floors of the house to give an overall view of the house. – almost like making cross-sections of the house

§  The characters are wearing dark clothing adding to the darkness of the house. One of the robbers also has his face covered for most of the film. These factors add to the mystery therefore creating more tension in the film.

Conventions of a Thriller

There are lots of conventions (common elements) that can help separate and identify a thriller film against any other genre of film. After researching the thriller genre I have found that these are the conventions:

• The aim of the thriller genre is to create suspense as well as excitement for the audience.

• Thrillers often use busy environments such as high streets in busy cities like New York to create a rushed and exciting setting and environment. This gives the film a feeling of being very action-based.

• Tends to revolve around the investigation of an enigma creating a sense of mystery and the unknown throughout the film.

• The thriller genre tends to contain a lot of violence ad as a result a lot of thriller films are rated 15 and above however, this is not always the case.

• Often thrillers films revolve around governmental organisations such as the police or army.

• There is more likely to be a rational explanation to any mystery as oppose to a supernatural solution.

• Often the hero and the villain share similar characteristics in thriller films and often has the same or very similar aims.

• Tends to centre attention on injustice in society and seems to solve this in a lot of cases.

• Quick cutting camera work and camera angle changes are used in thriller films more often than not.

• Sound is inserted in places where the unknown is very prominent giving a sense of tension.

• Shadows, mirrors and stairs are often used in thriller films but not always. These give the films a spooky feeling but also create tension.

• Often characters are dark, ‘shadowy’ characters that are quite secretive.

• Props are used a lot to give added effect and the use of guns may be prominent in thriller films. 

The thriller genre can work well with many other genres to create joint genres such as comedy thrillers and drama thrillers. Depending on what the thriller genre is paired or grouped with can alter the conventions as they will be used to create different effects and therefore be used more or less. The settings that thriller films are set in can also alter things like lighting because it would be different depending on the environment and location. The thriller genre is fantastic and the different uses for the common elements can really help emphasise point within the films and improve them.

ISL 3 - Five Analysed Shots

<!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->Enemy of the State – Analysed Shots

This is one of the first frames in the film Enemy of the State. This is a long range shot that introduces the first setting to us although we cannot see any close ups of any characters. We can see that the car park surface is wet and the overall feel of the shot is dark and grey due to the sun set giving an effect of secrecy and mystery. There are two cars in the picture, the cars are of black colour and look quite posh, like something the governmental forces would use such as the FBI or CIA. There is also a character sat on the bench to the right. As this character is there from the beginning it makes it look like he may be waiting for someone, possibly the cars and what they may contain. As the shot continues the camera gets closer to the cars revealing more to us and focusing our attention. The river in the background also gives a feeling of danger as it would be an obvious place for disposal of important things/people.

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This shot is after the camera has been focused in on the cars and the person sitting on the bench. It starts by the lowering of the window that this character is sat behind. The window is shaded before it is wound down and so we do not know what is behind it to start with. When it is wound down we get a very darkly dressed character. He is dressed as if he is a part of governmental forces or a secretive group such as a spy. As he uses the prop of a mobile phone we know he is up to something and as the camera rotates we can see more due to the view from behind the car being made visible. This means we can see the people he is talking to and the tension builds due to this because we can tell they are obviously on some sort of surveillance task. Everything is very quiet at this moment which begins to add to the suspension eventually. As these shots progress the lighting seems to get darker creating more of an eerie feeling and giving the impression <!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->that something serious is about to happen.

The next setting is set to reveal some new characters to the film and the main character played by Will Smith. This shot is at the very start of this scene and you can immediately tell that any characters introduced to us here are of high importance. This can be worked out by the size and complexion of the building as well as all the secret agent style cars parked up outside. The sun is just beginning to shine on the building which adds to the effect of the previous scene being at night time and helps to emphasise the darkness created in that. The is a Christmas tree attached to the middle of the building so we can tell which time of year the film is supposed to be set in. As the shot continues we get to see many characters sat around what appears to be a meeting table which helps to show their importance.

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This shot is taken after the focus of the film has been zoomed into the inside of the building. You get the same sense of importance as outside as it looks like an important meeting. The building is grand and you can sense the size of it as the camera has been places fairly low down looking up. There are some characters in the background through the doorway showing that it is probably quite a busy area and they are walking quite fast giving a sense of urgency and rush. The fact the a secretary interrupts the meeting to give some important information shows that this must be some sort of official place although nothing is revealed as of yet. The lighting is made shadowy and there are some candles in the background that flicker and add to this effect. You can hear sounds in the background that suggest a very busied atmosphere with phones ringing and people talking.

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In this shot we again get some information presented on the screen of the location and the time. The fact that this information is given to us in such a straight forward way suggests to us that it is of high importance and it is something that we have to know. Again the shot begins in a zoomed out way and increases in focus over time. This gives the setting an overview and helps us to imagine the environment that the characters are in. The sounds in this shot are quite noisy, busy traffic can be heard through engines and car horns and this can also be seen on screen. This shows that the environment around is quite busy and we can also see that the environment is not as glamorous as in the last shot, there are no grand buildings, in fact it looks rather untidy. 

ISL 2 - Glossary Of Terms

Glossary of Terms

Editing Techniques

Editing - The work of selecting and joining together shots to create a finished film.

Cut - A visual transition created in editing in which one shot is instantaneously replaced on screen by another.

Continuity editing - Editing that creates action that flows smoothly across shots and scenes without jarring visual inconsistencies. This establishes a sense of story for the viewer.

Cross cutting - Cutting back and forth quickly between two or more lines of action, indicating they are happening simultaneously.

Dissolve - A gradual scene transition whereby the editor overlaps the end of one shot with the beginning of the next one.

Eye line match - The matching of eye lines between two or more characters. For example, if one person looks to the right in shot A, the other will look to the left in shot B. This establishes a relationship of proximity and continuity.

Fade - A visual transition between shots or scenes that appears on screen as a brief interval with no picture. The editor fades one shot to black and then fades in the next. This is often used to indicate a change in time and place.

Final cut - The finished edit of a film, approved by the director and the producer. This is what the audience sees.

Iris/Masking - Visible on screen as a circle closing down over or opening up on a shot. Seldom used in contemporary film, but common during the silent era of Hollywood films.

Montage - Scenes whose emotional impact and visual design are achieved through the editing together of many brief shots. The shower scene from Psycho is an example of montage editing.

Wipe - Visible on screen as a bar travelling across the frame pushing one shot off and pulling the next shot into place. Rarely used in contemporary film, but common in films from the 1930s and 1940s.

ISL 1 - Glossary Of Terms

Glossary of Terms

Camera Shots, Composition, Framing and Angles

Aerial shot - A camera shot filmed from an airplane, helicopter, blimp, balloon, kite or high building (higher than a crane).

Arc shot - A shot in which a moving camera circles round the subject being photographed.

Bridging shot - A shot that connects one scene to another by showing a change in time or location. A bridging shot can also be used to connect two shots from the same scene by using a close-up, distant pan or different camera angle thus relating the shots via content.

Close-up - A shot in which a smallish object (e.g. the human head) fits easily within the frame.

Crane shot - A shot in which the camera rises above the ground on a mobile support.

Establishing shot - A long shot, often the first in a sequence, this establishes the positions of elements relative to each other and identifies the setting.

Extreme close-up - A shot in which a small object (e.g. a part of the body) fits easily within the frame.

Frontality - The placing of the camera at a 90º angle to the action.

Long shot - A shot in which a large object (e.g. a complete human figure) fits easily within the frame.

Medium shot - A shot in which a medium-size object (e.g. the top half of a human figure) fits easily within the frame.

Overhead shot - A shot looking down vertically on the action from above.

Passing shot - A shot producing a projected image that travels quickly across the screen, either by moving the subject past a stationary camera or by panning the camera past a stationary subject.

Reaction shot - A close-up in which an actor or group is seen to respond to an event, often accomplished with a cut away from the primary action to someone viewing the occurrence.

Two shot - A shot in which two actors appear within the frame.

Composition - The complete arrangement of a scene by the director. The process includes camera angles, lighting, properties, characters, and the movement of the actors.

Framing - The size and position of objects relative to the edges of the screen; the arrangement of objects so that they fit within the actual boundaries of the film.

180º rule - The convention that the camera can be placed in any position as long as it remains on one side of the action.

Crossing the line - Breaking the 180º rule typical of continuity editing.