Opening Sequence Titles

Titles at the start of a film make it very clear to the audience that they are watching the opening sequence. Films vary the titles they use some choosing to break up each shot with a title on a black screen whilst others use to have the titles fade in and out over the shot. I prefer titles that fade in and out as the feel of the opening sequence is more continuous and less chopped up. The titles are less noticeable like this though and could potentially distract attention away from the shot. To avoid this problem titles like this are placed in a corner so they are less in the way. The advantage of having a title on a black screen is that the audience pays attention to the title. Titles often used in opening sequences include:

• Production Companies
• In Association with
• Screenplay adapted by
• Based on a book/novel by
• Director/Producer
• Actors
• Music
• Casting
• Film Title
  

Avoiding Problems When Filming

After meeting with Mrs Thrasher we were able to consider what we could do to contribute to our group as individuals in terms of avoiding any problems. Here are the 5 things I came up with:

1. Being less dominating and delegate roles
2. Bring lighting
3. Be open to everyone else's ideas and opinions
4. Re-do any shots that may have problems with continuity editing as many times as possible.
5. Phone my group before leaving for a shoot to check we've all remembered the right equipment.

I think that my main problem will be with number 1 as i tend to do most of the work so that it gets done rather then rely on the rest of my group. In the test shoot weekend this is something i will need to practice and improve on.

Opening Sequence Analysis - Hannibal

The opening sequence of this film starts convetionally with the universal studios brand image and the mgm lion. We see a black screen and piano music starts playing a soft and slow tune. A black man's voice cuts in as a voice over as we continue to see a black screen. This makes the audience wonder who is speaking and why we are just seeing black? The non diegetic music doesn't get quieter as the man is speaking over it, instead his voice is just loud and booming. We then hear another voice of a white male so the audience is able to establish that we are hearing a conversation. As this new voice appears red letters listing the production compay and other credits start to appear. Red might have been used as it has the connotation of blood and death. As we watch the titles appearing and dissappearing a small screen shot becomes visisble and gradually gets bigger showing us the people talking and their location. This shot appears in the right hand side in the middle of the screen and gets bigger to fill the whole screen. Whilst this is happenig both the diegetic and non-diegetic sounds are continuing. As the shot gets bigger we etablish that its a long shot of what could be a library in a persons home. We can see three men two sitting opposite each other whilst the other one stands. We also see that one of the men is in a wheelchair and we wonder why. The mood of the room is quite dark and there isn't much lighting making the room look quite brooding.

The camera slowly pans round from right to left to have a straight shot of the men facing each other. The next shot is a CU of the white males face which is very very damaged. We can see he has no lips and permant scarring all over his face. We can also see that he has one eye and thin grey hair suggesting that he is quite old. We then cut to a medium close up of the black guy responding to what the other character has just said, a reaction shot. Then we cut back to the white male and then back to the black male before the shot changes to a long shot of the white male in the wheelchair and the 2nd white male standing beside him. This gives the audience the opportunity to see what both men are wearing and what they look like. We then cut to a long shot of the black picking up a pink box. We then have an extreme long shot from far off so that we see the profile of the black male as he presents the box to the white male in the wheelchair. The music in this exchage between the two characters has become softer and quieter and the diegetic sound has become more dominant. The camera zooms in on the white males face when the black male opens the box to show him whats inside. The voice of the white male is really raspy and we can hear his deep breathing in this part of the scene. We cut to see whats inside the box from the perspective of the white male in the wheelchair, POV shot. The audience is able to see that it is a mask inside. The camera zooms in closer and closer entering the box then the shot fades to black with the title Hannibal written in red letters. The music has become louder again as the voices are no longer heard.

Red Dragon - Opening Sequence

In Red Dragon the opening sequence starts with the usual production companies presenting something. It also uses a clear colour scheme with red and white writing on a black screen. Thrillers often use the colours red, black and white, it is now a genre convention. Red connotes blood and death whilst black is very dark and brooding. White is often associated with innocence and purity but with the colours red and black is almost corrupted. The first shot is an extreme long shot of orchestra playing to a large audience on raised seating. The stage is in the centre of the shot making it the focus of the audience's attention. We can hear the music really strongly in the background and theres a cut to a long shot of an old women playing the violin. In the background are the rest of the orchestra. There's a cut to men playing the flute and then a shot of the conductor facing the orchestra. The audience questions the significance of this scene and what it has to do with the rest of the film. The music is quite fast paced and quick making this opening clip quite active for the audience. We are shown many clips of the orchestra playing until the camera zooms in on a particular character in the audience, Hannibal Lecter. We see him smiling and the audience wonder who he is, whether he is the main character in the film or why we are introduced to him first. We have a close up of his face and we see him staring intently at a particular. We wonder what his intentions might be, whether he knows the man, what is their relationship and who the man is. This opening clip ends with a long shot the man so the audience is able to see his face even though we don't kno who he is we think he might be important.

Opening Sequence Analysis - Twisted Love

I think the music is one of the key points in this opening sequence. It creates such an atmosphere and anchors the sequence but at times seems to take over some shots, the audience really focuses on it as it plays throughout only being lowered at a few points. This clip doesnt really feel like thriller, as i think too much time is spent introducing the characters and the home, although the way they changed the still photographs to short clips was very inventive. There should have been a bit more given away to the audience about what has happened to Emily and why Tom is alone. I thought the way they faded the Emily lying on the floor with burning of the picture in the fire was very well done. The audience is left questioning what has happened and they have to guess what is going on. What really works well in the sequence is the way each shot moves fluidly from one to another. The shots aren't broken up by title scenes and the continuity editing is very good, they used matched cuts alot. Overall this sequence was ok but more could have been done to make the shot more thriller like maybe by following more conventions.

Thriller Ideas

I have been really inspired by Mr Brooks and would really like to explore doing a psychological thriller. I find the idea of having an alter-ego as a character in the film really interesting and would like to try this in the opening sequence of our thriller. I imagine the setting to be a place where the target audience usually feels safe and comfortable but create a twist by making this location scary and dark. I think a park or another family or friends based location. The main character or victim would be someone unconventional so not a typical blond white innocent women who screams a lot. In Mr Brooks the victims were different and yet it really worked in the film and made it more interesting for the audience. I would like a character that an audience wouldn't think would be a victim, someone unexpected.

Location

I went to springfield park and i think it would be a good location for a thriller. This is because there are lots of places to hide a "villian", such as the large tree trunk in the second picture. I took these pictures in the early evening and as u can see the shadows and darkness make the shot look really thriller. A park is also a very fun and open place where people usually go to relax and turning it into a dark and mysterious place for a thriller would be a twist for the audience.

Student Thriller's Analysis

2006 - Group 1C



I think this openeing scene works well in the way they combine their title screens and their opening shots together. The music is a little off putting and sometimes distracts away from the action. The use of fades keeps the mood of the sequence really mellow and smooth, meaning the open sequence doesn't look as rushed. The group have used a lot of close ups which make each shot seem really significant. The audience is able to look at the characters faces really closely which gives the opportunity to see expression and reaction really well.The lighting could have been better even though the room is meant to be dark but better lighting would the audience the chance to see the characters and the environment much more clearly. The shot were she spits in his face would have been even more effective if we were able to see a reaction shot straight away without the break of a title screen. Continuity editing was used well when the male character held the cards in his hand then we cut to a shot of the cards on the table. This opening works really well as they kept it really simple using only one location and two main characters. There could have been more depth to the script but what they did left a lot up to the audience which means that they want to watch the rest of the film.

Mr Brooks - Narrative Theory

Levi Strauss - Binary Opposites

Good v Evil - Mr Brooks v Tracy Atwood

Expert v Amateur - Mr Brooks v Mr Smith

Compulsive v Controlled - Jane Brooks v Mr Brooks

Control v Abandon - Mr Brooks v Mr Brooks

Random v Planned - Jane Brooks v Mr Brooks

Anger v Calm - Tracy Atwood v Mr Brooks

Crazy v Balanced - Mr Brooks v Mr Brooks

Thrill (excite) v Dishearten - Mr Brooks v Mr Brooks

Todorov - Narrative structure

Equilibrium - Mr Brooks in man of the year and he has a nice family life. He's been in control of his problem.

Disruptions - His alter-ego re-appears. He's careless and now Mr Smith appears. His daughter comes back home and brings two problems with her. Tracy Atwood is looking for the thumbprint killer.

Resolution - Mr Smith no longer becomes a problem and neither does Tracy Atwood. He sorts out his daughter's mess. He satisfies his thrill.

New Equilibrium - Mr Brooks identity is still safe. Tracy Atwood's divorce are no longer a problem, her life is no longer threatened. His alter-ego for now is temporarily at a bay.

Barthes - Action and Enigma codes

Action

• Mr Brooks hearing the man in the back seat talking to him
• Mr Brooks watching the people in their dance class
• Mr Brooks getting dressed in black
• Mr Brooks naked in his "studio"
• Tracy Atwood standing in the rain being watched by the woman in the car
• The pick-up driver cutting across Mr Brooks in traffic

Enigma

• Mr Brooks turning the large oven on
• Posing the victims after their dad
• His daughter coming home
• The woman swimming in the pool
• Mr Brooks looking and taking pictures
• Mr Brooks copying the key
• Mr Brooks conversation with his alter-ego before he flies away on the plane

Propp - Character Types

Antagonist - Mr Brooks

Protagonist - Mr Brooks

Helper - Alter-ego, Mr Smith

Donor - Alter-ego, Mr Smith, Jane Brooks

Dispatcher - Alter-ego

Princess - Jane Brooks

Mr Brooks

The opening sequence of Mr Brooks is very interesting. We first see a black screen with white writing appearing slowly in three lines. The writing is very ambiguous, "The hunger has returned to Mr Brooks' brain. It never really left." This statements are very enigmatic as they raise questions in the mind of the audience, what type of hunger are we talking about? Who is Mr Brooks? Where has it been if it never really left? We don't really understand what it means right now which causes us to think that we are going to find out the meaning as we watch the film.

As the opening credits continue to play on the black screen, we here the voice over of two men. One seems to be praying whilst the other is talking back to him. We wonder who the voices belong to and we try and determine the significance of what they are saying. The first shot we see is a low angle long shot of a man bending over looking into a mirror. In the foreground we see a small cupboard with flowers on top whilst the man is in the background. We assume that he was the one previosuly speaking but as we can't see a second man we doubt our first judgement. The man then leans up to face the camers which gives the audience the opportunity to see his face. He walks towards the camera, whose position doesn't change. The next shot is of a wine glass filled with wine as the camera pans across. We start to hear again the previous man's voice praying again. The audience really want to know now who the voice belongs to and why he is praying. The first wine glass blurs in the foreground as the camera moves to show another wine glass in the foreground of the bottom of half of a man's face. The camera pans up to show his face which becomes clearer and the audience determines that he is the man from the bathroom. His mouth isn't moving so we assume that we are hearing his thoughts as a voice over.

I find this opening very interesting as it leaves the audience guessing and makes them want to watch the film and find out what is going on. We are introduced to the main character, the killer, but we don't know that yet, we have also heard his alter-ego but we don't know that yet either. I would like to use this kind of opening in our thriller as it is very enigmatic, causing the audience to want to watch on to have their questions answered or to see if their original assumptions were right.

Mr Brooks!!

Literally just finished watching Mr Brooks, a psychological thriller. Everyone should go see it as i think its a really good example of this sub-genre. They have really exposed the mind of a killer in a really interesting way. You understand the killings from the perspective of the killer which i think made the film very interesting. Will analyse it properly later but just thought i should suggest that everyone should go watch it.

Silence of the Lambs - Narrative Theory

Levi Strauss - Binary Opposites

Good v Evil - Hannibal and Clarice or Buffalo Bill and Clarice

Man v Woman - Clarice v Buffalo Bill or Hannibal

Independence v Dependence - Clarice is dependent on Hannibal to find Buffalo Bill, she needs his help. Hannibal was independent, he used his own wits and brain power to survive and escape.

Cage v Freedom - Hannibal was literally stuck in a cage whilst Clarice was free on the outside.

Deception v Honesty - Hannibal deceives everyone when he escapes and he was deceived by Clarice and her boss. Yet Clarice is honest to him about her childhood and Hannibal is honest to her about how to find Buffalo Bill using the case file.

Death v Survival - All of Buffalo Bills victims died apart from the last girl who Clarice was able to save. Most of the people that came in to contact with Hannibal died except Clarice.


Todorov - Narrative structure

Equilibrium - Clarice training to become an FBI agent. Hannibal safely locked away for the past 8 years.

Disruptions - Buffalo Bill killing women and leaving their bodies in rivers where they are found. Clarice decieves Hannibal and he moves to a new place of entrapment.

Resolution - Clarice finds Buffalo Bill and kills him with help from Hannibal saving what would have been Buffalo Bill's latest victim.

New Equilibrium - Hannibal free and on the loose. Clarice is made an FBI agent .


Barthes - Action and enigma codes

Action

• Conversation where Dr. Chilton describes Hannibal to Clarice
• Hannibal with the small piece of metal in his hand
• Girl singing in the car
• Doorbell ringing
• Hannibal removing skin of dead police officer
• Hannibal on the phone to Clarice watching Dr. Chilton

Enigma

• Clarice being called in to see her boss
• Hannibal asking about what Migs said to her
• Hannibal asking about Clarice's childhood
• Shown the pencil on the bed
• The cocoon in the victims mouth
• Girl singing and driving in the car
• Migs talking to Clarice
• Flashback scenes

Propp - Character Types

Antagonist - Buffalo Bill/ Hannibal

Protagonist - Clarice

Helper - Dr Jack Crawford/ Ardelia Mapp

Donor - Hannibal

Dispatcher - Dr Jack Crawford

Father figure - Dr Jack Crawford

False Hero - Dr Jack Crawford

Scream - Narrative Image

The woman on the front cover immediately draws the attention of the audience and it also suggests that she is going to be the main character in the play. Her expression causes the audience to ask, what is she looking at? What can she see that is scaring her? The title scream also causes the feeling of enigma as we question who is going to be screaming, is it going to be just the female on the cover or someone else? There are colour conventions on the cover aswell such as the use of red which implies blood and gore. The audience wonders if this is going to be a feature in the film, will it involve murder, suicide another type of death? The slogan at the bottom suggests the setting is surburban within a home but the audience anticipates what is going to keep the character(s) trapped at home.

The cover is very simple with just one large central image and large title across the top and slogan along the bottom. This means that the audience has to ask a lot of questions with very little but there are questions to ask. The only way we find the answer to these questions is by watching the film.

Thriller Conventions

When we watch a thriller we are able to identify that it is a thriller from recognising its conventions. These conventions can be broken down into four catergories iconography, narratives, themes and characters.

Iconography -
"symbolic representation, esp. the conventional meanings attached to an image or images."

Iconography includes:

• mise-en -scene
• lighting
• camera
• setting
• editing
• props
• colours
• dress

Narratives -

"n.

1. A narrated account; a story.
2. The art, technique, or process of narrating.

adj.

1. Consisting of or characterized by the telling of a story: narrative poetry.
2. Of or relating to narration: narrative skill. "

Narrative includes:

• plot
• structure
• events
• sound effects
• dialogue
• mood

Themes -

1. A topic of discourse or discussion. See Synonyms at subject.
2. A subject of artistic representation.
3. An implicit or recurrent idea; a motif: a theme of powerlessness that runs through the diary; a party with a tropical island theme.

Themes include:

• reactions/ responses
• what the film is about
• what the film makes us think about
• what it makes us question/think
• the 'idea' of the film, what underpins the narrative

Characters -

1. The combination of qualities or features that distinguishes one person, group, or thing from another.
2. A description of a person's attributes, traits, or abilities.

Characters include:

• characters/ the roles they play
• charcacteristics/ features
• behaviour/ action/ motivation

Each of these catergories link to each other in one way or another such as iconography and characters or themes links with narratives.

Scream DVD Cover Analysis

Camera:

On this cover the shot is an extreme close up with direct address. The image is central and symmetrical. There is no background due to the type of shot. the framing is very tight, the wole face of the woman is included. It is also a straight angle shot.

The Close up shows the expression and fear of the female character. Direct address and the image central means that we can see really clearly the characters mood. as the framing is so tight we can see nothing else apart from the females face which leaves us to wonder what she may be seeing or what is going on.

Mise-en-scene:

White, red and black are the colours are used. Artificial lighting is used and there are not many shadows only to highlight her facial features - nose, eys and mouth. Red and black font at top and bottom of cover. "Don't answer the phone. Don't open the door.Don't try to escape," near bottom of cover and title "Scream" across the top. Age rating in bottom right corner.

Strong colours are used which keep cover really simple and dont draw attention away from character's face. White represents innocence adn purity, maybe suggesting the female's personal traits. Red contrasts with the white making her lips really noticeable, could also connote seduction or blood. Higlighting her facial features with shadow bring out her fear to the audience as we can see her wide eyes and flared nostrils. Title and slogan are at top and bottom to keep character's face in centre and the main focus. Writing in red follows through with colour theme of the rest of the cover. It implies blood and death. Title connotes that the character on the cover is going to be doing a lot of screaming. Her expression also suggests this as her mouth is open. Slogan at the bottom implies the setting is in a house, a homely environment. Gives the impression that danger is coming to the home of the female and that she has no way of being safe or escaping. Age rating in the bottom shows that the film isn't for young children or teenagers which, adds to the idea that the film is very scary.

People:

Female character is looking at the camera. Clothing or hair can't be seen. Facial expression is very clear and exposed - wide eyes, open mouth, hand slightly covering mouth and furrowed brow. Red lipstick on females top lip.

The character looking at the camera gives the audience the opportunity to really see her fear. Nothing else being in the shot, no hair or clothing signifi how important her expression is. It also leaves room for the audience to question what she is wearing or what her hair is like. Hand over her mouth is an action code that connotes fear and horror. Her wide eyes is another action code that suggests she is seeing something frightening and horrible. Her being on the front cover suggest that the main narrative is revolved around her. We get the impression she is the one that is going to be doing the screaming because of her action codes.

Thrillers - Sub Genres

There are many sub-genres within the thriller genre, these include:

• Spy thrillers - The Bourne Series
• Military thrillers - Rambo
• Erotic thrillers - Fatal Attraction
• Legal thrillers - The Pelican Brief
• Psychological thrillers - The Talented Mr. Ripley
• Horror thrillers - 28 Days Later
• Crime thrillers - Reservoir Dogs

Definition of a Thriller

Dictionary.com - thrill·er (thrĭl'ər) n. One that thrills, especially a sensational or suspenseful book, story, play, or movie.

From the films I have watched so far I have been able to come up with my own definition of a thriller. A thriller to me, is a film that creates suspense and anticipation in the audience. It does this using cliffhangers, moments of mystery and climaxes.

Psycho

This shot from the film really represents thriller. It's a medium close up, straight angle and the character is very central. The character is blacked out with their right arm raised above their head. We can see in the background the outline of the door. It is a black and white shot. The lighting in this scene was articficial.

The character raising their hand in the air demonstrates that they are about to stab someone. It's a very threatening position.The character all blacked out hides the expression on the character's face and also means that we can't really see who the murderer is, which adds to the sense of mystery. The shape of the character's head gives the audience a clue that it's a women as it looks like the character is wearing a wig. The shot is distorted with grey streaks which add to the effect of mystery and makes the shot look really old. In this shot the audience is positioned directly in front of the character which would be the position of the victim, which would mean the victim had a chance to look at their killer.

I found Psycho quite interesting, it was full of suspense and mystery. The setting of a derelict looking mansion and a rarely used motel was excellent. It added to the atmosphere of the film, it added to the thriller effect. The death scene with young girl wasn't as good as it could have been, I think the acting was a little melodramatic and the stabbing took too much time. The most thrilling part was seeing Bates' mother in the fruit cellar and realising that Bates' really was the killer!! The psychological aspect of the film also added to the thrill felt in the audience. The film at the beginning seemed really predictable but the psychological twist changed that and the ending was very unexpected, it made the Bates character seem even more deranged and twisted. It's almost incomprehensible to understand that the Bates character was two people, his mother and himself.

Layout

Like my layout? well apparently the godfather is the best thriller according to imdb, i think its a very good film so yeah the background seemed appropriate.

Disturbia - Shia LaBeouf

I Love Him!!! He was amazing in this film.

Disturbia

errm yes well errm watched disturbia the other day, thought it wz very gd had many similarities to rear window but it was much better. There was a little more to the plot and there was a lot more tension and "jumpy" moments. It was also a little more violent and there was more gore but not too much. The start almost spoilt it as nothing really happened for like the first half hour but the rest of the film made up for it. The chinese guy was hilarious and all the characters worked really well together. Also I love Shia LaBeouf!!!!

Welcome

Welcome to the Latymer School Thriller Video Project!!!

From the Media Team.....