Final Product - Thriller opening by Emily, Blake, Danny and Johnny, showing the theme of split personality

Mise en Scène

Definition
Is an expression used to describe the design aspects of a theatre or film production, which essentially means "visual theme" or "telling a story"—both in visually artful ways through storyboarding, cinematography and stage design. When applied to the cinema genre, Mise en scene refers to everything that is in view of the camera, along with its arrangement, such as composition, props, sets, actors and lighting.


 The visual theme of our opening will include elements of standard life, whilst maintaining an eerie feel about it, following the trend of the thriller films we have looked at for inspiration in our project. We will tailor our opening so that the potential audience would have an idea of what is to be expected in our movie, along with future scenes that could take place. 


How we will incorporate Mise en Scene into our Opening:


Set Design:
We require props such as mirrors within our opening, as such we shall be filming a portion of our opening within suitable environments which are also easily accessible. Our opening will be shot inside through most, if not the entire scene.


Actors: We aren't going to use additional actors from outside of the group or project, mainly due to the fact we only need a key actor to play our 'lead' character, with the exception of another character or so for interactions within the opening. This decision allows us to avoid any complications with our filming, enabling us to complete the filming process with ease.


Costumes: Our thriller opening isn't overly dramatic, as such we don't have a massive need for costumes to enhance the actor's roles, it's a modern day thriller also, meaning that the use of 'normal' clothes would incorporate effectively into the clip. This is another factor that helps ease our filming time, as it eliminates the cost and difficulty in finding specialised costumes.


Composition: The last key component of Mise en Scene is composition. In order to effectively piece together our opening, we have ensured there are certain contrasts that blend into the opening clip as a whole. An example being the colour of clothing used on our main character, where when the mental 'switchover' occurs, the audience would have something to go by as the colour of clothing changes along with the mood of the scene. Considering we mainly have one character on a frame at a time, the task is also relatively easy in getting the scene to feel realistic.

Frame By Frame Analysis: Red Eye Opening Daniel Wilson

1: The very first shot of the movie is the title 'Red Eye' imposed over a black screen. The text is red not only because the title is 'RED eye', but because its connotes danger and suspense, as well as the fact blood is red and is in thrillers.

2: The next shot is a close up shot of an unknown mans hand. The hand is gloved and swiftly takes a wallet that was just recently placed on the table. At the moment, we currently don't know who this man is, but because his hand is gloved, we know that he definitely not someone who lives in the house. Because of this, it immediately builds up the suspense as we want to know who's wallet this is and who the man who stole it is.

 3: The next shot is a long shot of two men loading a box onto a truck. Although the box is thought to have seafood inside, because the shot is dimly lit and is at night, we assume that something sinister is going on. The camera tracks the men for the entire shot, watching their actions the entire way through.

 4: The next shot is a close up shot of a man who is taking the wallet from earlier out of an envelope. We still cant see who this man is, further building the suspense on who is the man and why he needs this particular wallet.






5: The next shot is a extreme close shot panning left to right of photos of someones house. This is were we start to piece together that someone is trying to gather information on someone. We assume that the house belongs to the owner of the wallet and the man who stole it is the one who is getting the information.

6: The final shot is a medium shot of another two men unloading the box from earlier out of the truck. Our suspicions about the contents of it are somewhat confirmed as when the crate is opened, they break away the ice to reveal a locked box. We don't know whats in this box either, which continues the suspense, setting up for the latter part of the movie.

Shot List

Detailed shot list of our film:


- The first shot it a close up tilt shot that pans upwards from the characters feet to face, this helps to establish the character.

- This shot pans from pans to an over the shoulder,  close up shot. This shot therefore establishes the character involved within the film, making the audience want to find out more.

- The third shot pans round towards the left of the character and zooms out from a close up shot to a medium shot as this gives the audience a view of the background and the scene around.

- Within this next shot a close up shot is formed of the main characters face therefore showing the audience his expression and emotion towards the scene.

- A tracking shot is used to see a close up shot of the main characters split personality in shot for.

- A medium  over the shoulder shot introduces other main characters into the perspective

-A high-angled shot is then used to focus on the characters actions from above, to show the tension building.

- Panning shot is used to turn the shot into a medium shot which shows the audience the setting around.

- A medium shot is then used to show the main character and his split personality double walking past each other .

Frame-By-Frame Analysis Of The Sixth Sense - By Johnny Wring

1. In this first frame we are shown a close up of a light bulb slowly getting brighter, in a dark and sketchy basement. This frame alone creates a lot of tension and anxiety amongst the audience. As well as what we see, what we hear adds to the already sketchy atmosphere as well.







 2. In this frame we are introduced to one of the characters in the movie. A close up is used and we can see by her facial expression that something is either wrong or has caught her attention, adding even more to the current atmosphere. As well as this the camera is behind an object, creating a feeling that we the audience are kind of in the background of this scene, secretly watching this character. Like when a killer stalks his victim, just before he strikes.




3. In this frame we are shown a medium shot of the character, holding onto what looks to be like a bottle of wine. However in this frame the character notices something else in the basement and instantly changes her body language, adding again to the current atmosphere. As well as this the lighting used in this scene allows us to see a shadow of the character in the background creating a very tense and sketchy feeling that we tend to see in a lot of thriller films.

4.In this frame we are shown a long shot of the character, in which the camera is positioned again behind an object, making us feel as though we are hidden whilst watching this vulnerable character who is obviously distressed in some way. This scene is great in portraying the characters emotions and current position in the scene. As I said above, from the position of the camera, the character is made to look very vulnerable and alone. You sort of get the damsel in distress feeling from it.



5. This frame calms the atmosphere a little, as we are shown what looks like a child's drawings, creating a feel of innocence and safety.  However you still come across elements of the thriller genre, by the use of the candles in the shot which are blowing around which could suggest a lot to the audience.

Frame-By-Frame Analysis of Inception (Blake Funnell)

The Opening of: Inception

Much like the previous post, I will analyse the opening sequence of Inception in order to gather ideas for when the time comes for our own opening sequence. I chose Inception as it is a recent release, and has already given itself a name as one of the most prominent Thriller Movies of the decade.

1) Our first shot is an establishment shot, giving the audience an immediate idea of where the current scene of the film is likely to be staged - In this case, we can gather it resides on an isle of some sort.
The camera then pans slightly, to follow the flow of the tides, perhaps gripping the audience already with thoughts of what is to be at the end of the shot. However the camera then cuts to the next shot.

2) We then catch a close-up of the lead actor in the film Leonardo Dicaprio. The character he plays has been washed up the moment the shot changes. This leaves the question of how he had gotten their in the first place, which gives the audience something to ponder as the events begin to unfold. In the last seconds of the shot, he glances upward slightly, leading to shot number 3.

3) We then see a simple cut to a mid-shot of Dicaprio's point of view, which shows the beachshore setting along with two children who are playing on the shoreline. Shortly after, the camera cuts slightly closer in, giving the audience the impression of Dicaprio focusing his gaze on the two, who shortly run off afterwards. At this point it is likely the audience are keen on finding out the cause of the two current events. Which open more and more doors throughout the film in its entirety.

4) After the children run away, the shot again simple-cuts back to Dicaprio who is face down in the sand, still exhausted as a man points a gun to his back. This then adds another element to the sequence, and scene. As the close-up of the gun jammed against him gives the thought that he may either be shot, or taken away, due to the connotations of a gun, we can draw that this man is either a soldier or guard of sorts, with his hand on the trigger out of care.

 5) The shot uses a simple-cut to quickly stress the fact that the guard is searching Dicaprio, finding that he is armed with his own gun, this creates an image for Dicaprio's character, that he is involved with a risky profession i.e. a Mercenary of sorts. This shot is extremely quick, as it only requires identification of the gun before its use has expired.

6) The camera quickly cuts to the man, who is dressed as a guard, quickly he calls out to an ally. Upon realising that the washed up man possesses a gun. The shot is placed so that the sunlight is blotted by his figure, emphasising that this man may be dangerous, or threatening - Giving the audience a thought of the situation our main character is in. Is he to be killed? Imprisoned? Use of these shots are frequent in the film, and this one further emphasises it's meaning through the guards stance.

7) The final crucial shot of the opening sequence indicates where the man has been taken. From the subtitles we gather two things, that they are speaking in another language, along with the fact that the man is aware of who he has been brought too as he ''Asked for him by name''. This is where the psychological part of the famed thriller begins to kick in plot wise, as the audience have a limited knowledge of the current situation until events unfold. The camera again, cuts quickly to the setting as this particular sequence is rather hasty in the build up to this point. We can gather that the current environment is expensive, through detailed views of the room, along with the fact that we have a stereotypical 'Boss man' sat in his chair. This ends the opening sequence, and the shot slowly pans inward until an appropriate cut would be used. Overall the final shot reinforces the fact that the audience should be alert if they would wish to follow the film clearly.

 This concludes the opening sequence of 'Inception'. Overall it is successful in it's purpose, as it draws in the audience right from the first shot, making them ponder who this main character is, why is he where he is and what his purpose is with the people on the isle.

Frame-by-frame analysis of The Dark Knight - Emily Saunders

The opening scene of The Dark knight:
In this section of the blog I will be analysing the opening scene of The Dark Knight to discover what makes a spectacular opening sequence to a typical thriller film. Therefore this will give us inspiration of the narrative used throughout the opening scene, the type of shots and editing used for when we record our own opening scene.

1) The first screen shot that we are introduced to is an establishing shot, it gives the audience a hint of the setting and surroundings around and what type of film The Dark Knight is going to be. The camera   zooms inwards focusing on the black building using a tracking shot, this is effective as it establishes the setting and where the action and plot is going to take place. This shot gives the audience a sense of curiosity from the audience making them wonder why we are being introduced to a specific location. The tracking shot helps to bring detail to the surrounding and let the audience focus upon a specific part of the plot, which makes the film intriguing and engaging. Also, there is no dialogue or sound in this part of the scene therefore creating tension of what is going to happen next.

2 ) This shot is introduced by using a simple cut from the previous shot. A close up shot is used to establish the character that is in this scene and give the audience a preview of who and what is to come throughout the film without giving them the whole scene of which building they are in and why they are there. Also a close up shot is effective in this opening scene because it makes the audience want to know who the person is and want to know more about them. This type of shot also distinguishes the character and is a good way to introduce their importance within the film, it gives the shot a sense of foreshadowing. 

3) This shot is slowly panned out from the previous shot, from a close up shot to a medium-long shot of the character. This gives the audience chance to connect with the character and see the real them in a sense. As a medium long shot is used is shows most of the character ( head to knees) but not all of the character. It also gives the opportunity to show the environment and location around so that it gives the audience an insight of whats to come.

4) A cut is used from the previous shot to this present shot, then tracking is used to move from a long shot slowly into a close up shot of just the mask in the shot. This shot helps the audience to establish the character through mise en scene of the props 'the mask'. This shot also leaves the audience wondering who the character is and what part they will play in the scene as we are introduced to 'the mask' making the audience feel intreaged and want to keep watching.

5) The camera moves from a closeup shot to a long shot through panning, this is effective as it gives a glimse of the setting and establishes the character as through this shot you can see all of their body, therefore enhancing the fact that the audience still need to be intorduced to the figure. Also, the use of a long shot in this scene helps to show the props for exaple the vehicle as this gives the audience a full on experience as if they were actually there.

6) In this shot we are introduced to more characters, this is established by a cut edit from the previous shot to the present shot. A medium shot is used to introduce the characters but not give away their identity as you cannot see their entire body.

  7) The pace was slow in the beginning on  The Dark Knight, however it starts to build by this shot. You can tell this as the are quick paced cut shots from one shot to the next, this shot is established from a medium shot to a close up shot this shows the detail needed to create tension along with the fast pace but does not give the whole scene away, therefore this is incredibly effective as it gives the audience a chance to connect with the characters on screen.

8) This shot is moved to a long shot, this helps to show the setting and the characters in full view. Therefore this can help the audience relate to the action thats going to happen as they can see everything in the shot. Also, non diagetic sound of a fast beat is added to this scene to create tension, it is slowly getting faster paced.

9) This shot is a long shot/extreme long shot this
is an establishing shot that can show the thrilling action taking place from afar. You can see little detail because it is a long shot and therefore it gives a general impression rather than any specific information within the shot. Non diagetic sound is used within this shot and gets a faster beat and pace, reinforcing the action thats happening within the scene.

10) The long shot then carrys on into another long shot by a cut, this shows the action keeps continuing throughout the scene showing that there is action throughout. Also, this shot shows the characters in full for the first time and makes the audience realise that there is many characters that look the same making them want to carry on watching.



Emily Saunders

Sources of inspiration for our thriller film

Sources of inspiration
Before we thought of the plot for our thriller film we decided to get inspiration from a specific scene in the film Shutter Island. We chose the scene in the film where the main character (played by Leonardo Dicaprio)  is on a boat going to a  island, he's in the bathroom area throwing water on his face because he is feeling sea sick and not himself.

  
                Therefore, we believe that this would be a good part to incorporate into our thriller film because it reinforces the fact that our main character has a spit personality that he's not aware of. The fact that he's splashing his face makes the audience believe that he's trying to reveal the true him, it makes them aware that he is struggling to overcome a psychological battle that he is individually unaware of.  Also, this part of the scene would connote that the main character is trying to reveal his true identity within but he has two sides to him that he just cant get rid of, its like two people within one body. Therefore this scene lets the audience into a secret about his identity that the characters within do not know, this is also foreshadowing what is yet to come in the plot making this party in the opening scene a key event to the film.

AS Media Studies Animatic

This is our first draft of our animatic to our opening to our movie. These were several images drawn on post stick notes that were photographed into the computer and put together in Final Cut Pro.


Shot for Shot Analysis

1: The first shot is a close up shot of the main characters feet, slowly tilting up to meet the characters face. This builds up the mystery and tension as we don't see the protagonist straight away.

2: The next shot is a close up, over the shoulder shot of the protagonist. He is staring at a bathroom mirror, looking flushed and anxious. This lets us know that something isn't alright with our protagonist. Furthermore, the setting is fully established to take place in a bathroom.

3: The next shot is a medium side shot. The protagonist is washing his face over a sink. We can only assume he's doing this clean his face or to wake him up. Because of this, we think he's just going through his normal routine as nothing seems to be out of place. This scene was inspired by the opening scene of shutter island and Leonarado Di Caprio's character.

4: The next shot is a close up shot pointed directly a the protagonist's face. He is looking straight at the camera, looking surprised at what he see. At this moment, we don't know what he is looking at or what has surprised him, building up the tension.

 5: The next shot is a close up shot of the protagonist's reflection. The reflection however, isn't exactly the protagonist. While they look similar physically, the reflection is wearing darker clothing, his face more moody and unnerving. This gives us the first clue that the protagonist has a split personality.

 6: The next shot is a medium, shallow focus shot of the protagonist. While the protagonist continues to wash his face quickly after seeing his reflection, his girlfriend slowly walks into the room. The shot is done so that the protagonist is the only thing in focus.

 7: The next shot is a medium shot pointed directly at the protagonist. He is tightly gripping his hands.They are shaking uncontrollably, looking like its involuntary. It appears he is fighting with himself.

8: The next shot is a medium shot from behind the protagonist.

9: The final shot is a medium long shot of both the protagonist and his reflection. They both walk past each other, neither acknowledging the others existence. This scene was inspired by the scene in "Black Swan" when Natalie Portman's character walks past her 'Black Swan' persona.

Existing Thriller Movies

 Se7en is known to be one of the most memorable Thriller movies of all time. It is somewhat different to our own idea, for instance it's rating is 18, namely due to it's quantity of gore in the film. However, it is nonetheless a great film to look at for inspiration, as it has a clever concept which allows us to draw ideas from. In a nutshell it tells of two detectives, a rookie and a veteran who hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motive, as with most thrillers, it's pace increases throughout the duration of the film. Overall, using this film as a source of inspiration will provide us with a ground to build on our own opening.

Target Audience continued

We decided to look into what the BBFC classes to make sure that our film is aimed at the correct target audience and has a rating to make sure that our film fits the criteria of the media studies task. (www.BBFC.co.uk)

'U' - This film should be suitable for children aged 4 years and over and is set within a positive moral framework that should offer reassuring violence and threats as it should not be physically violent or scary towards the audience. This rating is not suitable for our film because no discriminatory language or behaviour can be used throughout where as our film could contain some form of strong language and mild violence. 

'PG' - This rating can be viewed by any children unaccompanied by an adult, it should not disturb any child usually over the age of 8 years old an over. However, parents should give consent and are advised to look at the type of film before their child watched it. This rating is not suitable for our film because it contains frightening and intense sequences and strong language which is not suitable for this category as only mild language and minimal disturbing behaviour should be contained throughout.

 '12/12A' - This rating is only suitable for audiences of age 12 years and over. In a 12A rating no one younger than the age of can view a film with this rating unless accompanied by an adult. A 12 category only exists for video work a  no one younger than the age of 12 may rent a video with this rating. This rating was unacceptable to use for our film because only moderate language can be used throughout and only moderate violence is allowed and cannot be put into detail and have to be discreetly indicated. Therefore this rating is not suitable for our film as it will contain strong language and psychological violence which may affect an audience of 12 years or younger. 

'15' - This rating is only suitable for audiences of the age 15 years and over. We believe that this rating is acceptable for our film because strong threats and menace are allowed within and dangerous behaviour can also be permitted. Strong language can also be acceptable in this rating as long as its within context which our film contains, therefore we believe that this classification is applicable to use. 

'18' - This classification can only be viewed by audiences of the age of 18 years and over. In this rating audiences can be seen material that is in breach of the criminal law and individuals at risk of harm. Therefore we did not choose this classification because it has a strong pact of violence and language that out film does not contain, also it shows more of a horrific sense to the plot and would not be suitable for our thriller film because of this. However, audiences of the age of 18 years and over can still watch our film and enjoy it without the brutal violence of this rating. 

'R18' - This rating can only be seen in licensed cinemas and to adults over the age of 18 years or over because of sexual behaviour involving the individuals taking part in the film. Therefore this rating is not suitable for our film as it does not contain strong sexual activity. 

Target Audience

Our film is going to be aimed at a target audience of men and women age 15 - 40. We have chosen this age range because we believe that the content within the film as a whole is suitable for that age group as there is strong violence and threats along with some severe language but it is not physically violent  it is more psychological violent and therefore does not need to be a 18. We conferred to the BBFC classification to make sure that our film fits with the age restrictions within the law today.

Treatment

Plot - Our film has a usual structure relating to Todorov's theory, it starts with a equilibrium of our male character in his usual everyday life, just looking at himself in the mirror. We are introduced to him by a tilt shot which give the audience a slow introduction to the character himself meaning he is easy to relate to.
      This is then followed closely by the disruption of equilibrium as we are introduced to Jason's vicious side, this is where the audience can engage with the plot as they feel that they know his secret where as Jason doesn't know it himself.
        Next is recognition of equilibrium this is the part where his next of kin begin to realise he isn't what he appears to be, he has a split personality.  His wife Sarah starts to get letters from mysterious people and begins to feel agitated when going out on her own, she realises that she is in danger.
         Attempt to repair equilibrium, in this this scene Jason and his wife go on a mission to find the person harassing their family. However Jason starts to discover that theres a different side within him and he cant control, he cant protect his others like he should and needs to find closure by convincing himself and everyone else that its not him. Although his wife already can tell that he's got a split personality she goes along with his plans to try and discover his illness.
          Finally in the resolution, Jason finally comes to terms with the fact that he is not the same person within as he is on the outside, he goes  through an emotional battle to discover hi true personality and comes the decision that his wife is better off without him and sections himself.

      

Characters - Main character is Jason Bradley, he is a stereotypical male character that seems physically protective of his close family, he is a dominant man that wants to be seen as a typical hero towards the people he knows. There we have cased him as a mans man that seems quite tough on the outside, tattoos and facial hair will reinforce this image to the audience so that they get a instant image of how the character is going to be portrayed throughout the film.

The other main character throughout the film is Sarah Bradley, Jason's wife. She is a typical female character that is portrayed as a damsel in distress throughout the film as she is scared and needing help from her loved one when she discovers that she is being stalked. She is going to be wearing feminine clothing and will be represented as a girly girl throughout.