The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Thomas Herd

This is an excellent example of an iconic start to a thriller. Firstly, it asks the audience lots of questions and therefore gets them on the edge of their seats because they want to find out the answers to their questions.

The first shot asks many questions in terms of what the picture is and who has sent the parcel. This creates an enigma and mystery among the audience. This scene takes up over one minute and therefore, it has been designed to build up mystery because of the amount of medium and close up shots. In fact, only the last shot is bigger than a medium throughout the whole section.

In addition to that, in the next scene, the girl is walking through subways through the night with the addition of low key lighting. This makes the audience unsure about the character because the lighting suggests that she is insecure and vulnerable, which is the stereotype, in not just thriller films, but in most films. The director may have done this to not go by the archetype of a standard thriller film.

However, she also challenges the idea of femininity because she is wearing a black hoodie. That ensures that the audience does not exactly know who is the protagonist and antagonist straight away which creates doubt.

The first two minutes also creates the binary opposition due to the old man in the first scene and that we are lead to believe that the girl walking is very young.

Sound Editing- whole group

The Usual Suspect - John Swift

The first thing that we see is a close up of matches being lit and the main character lighting his cigarette, this helps to build enigma straight away as he lights all of the matches instead of just one almost as if he doesn’t care anymore. We then see a medium shot which allows us to see some of the surroundings of the location, from the cleverly use of mise en scene with things such as creates, thick rope, and metal we can tell this is a boat.

He then drops his matches onto the ground which ignites a flame, a series of close-ups are then used to emphasize the dance of the flame as it moves passed the camera, and on some shots the camera tilts down to get closer to it. This has been used as fire is icon for danger.

The camera shots have been carefully chosen which only shows the second characters face, this automatically leaves the viewer wondering who this man is.

We see a close-up of the second characters body but cannot see his face this creates a lot of enigma and we know that this must be the “bad guy”. The first characters body language seems lazy and almost has he has given up.

The scene is poorly lit which also creates enigma as we can’t really  see what is going on, we can just about make out the chatterers ans what is taking place in the scene.

We ten see a close-up of the gun; this is iconic for its danger as we know they are capable of killing, this is all done by the director create mood and add to the idea that the first character is in a lot of danger.

We then go on to see a long shot of the boat where we just hear a gun shot, we know this is the character with the gun shooting the other character as they are also on a boat, the shots are also connected with a sound bridge of an eerie string sounding instrument.

The usual suspects analysis- Tom Corbett

Opening scene
The lighting varies from the bright flame of the matches to the dark interior of the boat. The setting is mysterious, as it is poorly lit and the characters are hard to make out. The panning of the camera to the fire as it burns across the floor shows the danger/ importance of the fire, and links into the liquid seen gushing onto the floor.

The lighting is a key element as it hides the arrival's face. The camera is cleverly positioned so that we only see his body, such as the tracking when he walks down the stairs adds to the creating of an enigma as to the identity of the person. The introduction of the gun adds to the tension, as the mystery man prepares to shoot the other.

The focus on the cigarette as it falls onto the floor and the continued burning, combined with the subsequent shots of the arrival leaving add to the suspense as the danger becomes apparent.

Research task-thriller openings- Tom Corbett

Please bear in mind that thrillers aren't really my thing, but I'll do my best!

The Bourne Ultimatum

As the clip starts, we can see that Bourne is injured, limping across the bridge. The eye-level camera gives us an approximation of what he can see, as it is filmed without a stand, and tracks with him before cutting to an ELS, showing his location. This immediately puts us in the action, showing a suspenseful chase as sirens cut in, and Bourne's reaction to them- the chase begins.

The fast-paced violins in the present heighten the feel of the chase, and keep you focused on the game of evasion. The chreshendo before Bourne jumps supports this (00:37-00:39). The fast and slick cuts enable the flow of the action to pique the audience's interest, with the dark and dramatic lighting (as well as the night setting) creating the suspense leading up to the climax. When in the pharmacy, Bourne has flashbacks, with the bright setting contrasting the darkness.

One use of sound is the loud noise of the door opening (2:10), which alerts the audience to the police's presence and the peril that Bourne is in, due to his situation. Another example is when Bourne takes off the gun's safety, alerting us to the apparent danger. The climax is during the tense standoff, which Bourne is practically silent, and the policeman is desperately pleading for his life, showing all the signs of fear and abject terror with a low, sinister violin strain in the background adding to the tension. Sound is magnified, from the crunching of the radio to the breathing of the policeman.

The use of Bourne's perspective as the chased, with the added knowledge of the use of shots in a similar location, giving the audience knowledge that Bourne does not have, heightening the tension.

Inception

- Dramatic percussion at the start- lets the audience know of a change in location and/or time
- Magnified noise of the sea/ shots of the sea- gives a clue to the location, setting, makes the location important, first thing to hear in the location
- DiCaprio on the beach- CU shows that he is unconscious/ asleep- there is an immediate sense of mystery on how he arrived at the location, allows us to see his emotions
-Children- A possible flashback, low angle, unknown quantity, adds enigma
-Guard- first as a high angle POV, then low angle MS. We can see that the guard is armed, professional (looks for gun), his confusion, his ethnicity, gives a clue to the location
-House- ELS- no sandcastle/ children, Eastern-style architecture, clue to location
-Room in house- Dramatic lighting, open, camera gives a sense of intrusion, mystery identity of old man
-Old man- No clue as to identity, know he is old by hair/ posture
-The Top- Causes background violin to increase in volume, important plot device
-Eating and meeting- focus pull on old man, we can see his face, pause on DC's eating
-Monologue- importance of top, sinister violin in the background, knowledge of the 'dream' state, puts the old man ahead- and they both know it
-Natural use of colour, no filters

The silence of the lambs











The establishing shot at the beginning allows us to  see the location- mist-wreathed, spooky, with (more?!) violins, with the possibility of muted colours (or age of footage) allowing for a sense of mystery. The camera moves slowly downwards, increasing the suspense and mystery. The trumpets add a melancholy feel to the setting, and the sounds of the wildlife give way to the breathing of the female character. Her body language and sweaty costume tell us that she is tired and so does the heavy breathing. The shot finally cuts after a minute of run time, having focused on the location and now draws out attention to the woman. The sounds of her running are magnified, making it feel like she is alone, with more mist adding to the suspense.

The introduction of the flutes at roughly 1:10 also infers the loneliness. We can see her determination when the camera cuts to a MCU of her face. The side-on view when she is running through the trees adds a sense of intrusion and hunting. The way she climbs the ropes shows her stamina and fitness, giving clues to her character, shown when the instructor tells her that her presence is expected. The other shots and sounds add to the context of the story and fill it out.
Zodiac

First of all- this really shocked me, so I suppose that's a good thing! I picked it because I knew nothing about it and thought the title was interesting- and then the 'event' happened- [censor bleep]ing scary!
The slow music at the beginning sets up a lazy mood, supported by the sweeping shots and long continuous shots at the start. The night (once again) setting adds a sense of mystery and secrecy. The lighting we do see is muted, and most background sound is over shadowed- except for the shrieking girl and the car horn at 00:35-00:37- the former foreshadowing, the latter part of the sound in the film.

The sounds of the diner are louder than normal, contributing to the girl wishing to move on, but adds a sense of claustrophobia- the panic in the girl's voice also ramps up the uneasy feeling. The spot where the car pulls up is dark and foreboding, and the uneasiness continues with the long conversation and the sudden firecracker.

The MS of the two in the car allows for a 'back seat' look at the proceedings, and lets you see the emotions as the pair look behind them.

The appearance of the car is creepy, especially when it drives up behind the pair, you can see the fear in their eyes, echoed in their voices, and the sense of unease increases. When the car leaves AND THEN RETURNS! the unease multiplies exponentially, and the pair (and the viewer, in my case) are scared witless by this strange car. By this point the radio is off, and there is general background noise.
SPOILERS



The torch lulls the pair into a false sense of security, and the gunshot is amplified, along with the slow-motion Low angle look at the girl in the car shows a primal 'hiding' sense, and the music is TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE, making it seem upbeat though it is serious. The gunman is wreathed in shadow, adding to the feel of suspense. The fade to black shows a passing in time, and the voice over of the call adds to the unease and the fear of the couple's survival.

Completed Prelim Task

I'm done

I've done all I can on the blog.
Can I just say that it's been great to work with you all on the prelim task
See you on the red carpet!
Tom

Sound editing- Tom C

We debated whether to use sound to convey mood, rather than an eerie silence all the way through. Eventually we agreed that music would add another layer to the plot. We used footfall from filming, as it fitted the bill perfectly. We used piano and violin music at times to signify an appearance or change in mood.

Lighting- Harry

There may be some info on the storyboard, but this is a quick summary of the lighting we used:
- Basic lights for the stairs/ corridor. We could have made the lights dark and used LEDs, but it proved too dark and a probable risk to health and safety. It was also not possible in the corridor, due to lighting from the time of day and the large glass windows nearby.

The Pod was dark, with curtains drawn to put more focus on the two actors. the LEDs were moved depending on the light required and the angle used whilst filming.

Permissions- Tom C

Bearing in mind that we were filming on campus, permissions were not hard to get. Anyone can use stairs or a corridor, so long as it is quiet when filming and you do not disrupt any lessons or traffic to or from lessons.

We filmed in the pod during lunch, where there was no club or activity, just some students who kindly moved elsewhere to let us film.

Pre-filming- things to remember- John

There were several thing we needed to make sure of before we filmed.

White balance- the last thing you need is to look back on your footage and something's not right- the white walls look... Orange? Setting the white balance is as easy as it is important for filming- just get a white surface and select 'set white balance' in your camera's options menu. Make sure it is manual- you will get better results that way. This then makes the surroundings and people look normal. Make sure that you set a new white balance in a new location.

Framing- where is the subject in the frame? It's no use if you can only see a side of their face, especially in an emotional or important scene. Make sure that the subject is well lit, and that they are in a good position for the sequence.

Sandwiches or handles- you obviously cannot film straight away- you might cut off someone speaking. Adding handles in order to allow the actor to prepare themselves for the role or to have extra footage to use in the editing suite is very useful. All it requires is a few seconds at the start and end of the recording to have something to play with. This can be used to get timings perfect, or add suspense.

Another thing to remember is to redo shots over and over, in order to get the right emotion or to cover a previous mistake in the scene. Doing it three to four times generally will cover it.

Final prelim task

Script- Tom Corbett and Harry

This is roughly what we will be saying during the film

Post-filming vlog- Tom C and Harry

our thoughts on how the filming went

Health and safety vlog- Tom Corbett

A vlog on health and safety during filming in the pod

Props and costime

 A vlog on props and costume

Character roles Vlog- Tom Corbett

A vlog on the roles of all the group in the short film