Analysis of Mise-en-scene in Thrillers - Snatch

Snatch Opening Titles – Mise-en-scene

Opening title – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAgI51QvWxs

The first opening shot is of the actors changing costume, signifying that identity is important throughout this thriller and that it could turn out to be a secretive film. All of them look similar with the white shirts and the suits on implying that they do work together for something that the audience does not know yet, making them wonder why they are changing and where they are going.

This shot leads into the titles of the film. ‘Snatch’ is shown through a diamond suggesting that this thriller is a lot to do with wealth and making money. The use of sans serif text for all of the typography that the opening sequence shows that it isn’t a formal film, even though they are in suits, showing people that they look like they have a higher status, however could lead to being unprofessional through the use of sans serif text that could mean that it is informal with the way they talk to each other or do the ‘business’ and ‘deals’ that they do. For example, ‘Sol’ freezes with a cigarette in his mouth, implying that smoking could be part of his character and identity. The way that the image freezes to a green/grey toned imaged for all characters make it more memorable to recognise which character is which. Again, using the informal sans serif text shows each actors name and freezes showing their face.

 

The opening is very low-lighted signifying that they are hiding something and not the full story will be told, being secretive, so the audience has to work it out for themselves. Small parts of the opening is slowed down implying that they are the props that the audience need to watch out for, for example, weapons and how they are used, money, and again it being hidden showing how secretive they’re being.

A prop that is shown multiple times is money and wealth, showing that this film relates all around money and showing the types of business that the actors do to make their money to do more deals. Editing is used here for slow motion to make sure the audience know that money is important and will keep appearing throughout the film.

Again, money is shown for the third time in thirty seconds of opening the titles. Here, he has a suit on and money being handed to him, whilst being in a badly maintained area. The opposite type of people is there that would usually be expected to be seen there, they are stereotyped to be in a ruined place, implying that it is a hidden location and something suspicious is going on to build tension.

One of the last shots here is again in low lighting in all of the same clothes that they have been in from the start when the flashback happen, showing the audience what happened to get them to where they are now. The use of a gun showing weapons are used in this film, even though they are heading to the UK, implying that they are doing things illegally.

The props used in the opening titles, says a lot about the characters and how the film will go on with the use of weapons and a lot on money, the wealth that they have and what they are going to do to make more money.
 

Sound throughout this has a non-diegetic soundtrack which is quirky throughout the opening sequence. The first diegetic sound we here is an alarm clock sound, suggesting that whatever they are doing it is very time based so they need to be there and get done whatever they are doing quickly. As well as the soundtrack the action that is going on links into the sound of the track, for example the loading of a gun and the slamming of the boot fits into when another beat happens.

The only dialogue is at the end of the opening titles, not giving anything away about what is going to happen when they come to the UK. An ambulance sound is the only other diegetic sound that the audience hear as well as the loading of the gun at the end, signifying danger that they could cause.

From watching this opening titles looking at the strengths of what mise-en-scene can create in the opening of the thriller that we are going to create it needs to be strong like this opening and the opening engages the audience to want to watch the rest of the film. Strengths that we will use from this is it has good lighting and then setting the scene making it look like it is being filmed in the correct place. As well as lighting costumes are important, as people stereotypically judge what is going to happen by the way that they look therefore we could change peoples opinions of what they think is going to happen compared to what actually does happen. A lot of props were used in this opening however some of which was the same, therefore we need a signature prop that will be shown throughout the whole opening giving clues making people realise it is significant and means something important.

Vox Pop Evaluation

Vox Pop Evaluation

Firstly, we wanted to make sure when we filmed the Vox Pop, it had to be in a busy location as it shows that there is a lot of people to talk to and get answers from.

Here, we filmed one person on the right side which was continuous throughout the Vox Pop filming. The reason filming was on the right was so the interviewee’s name was on the left along with their name, age and their occupation. It was a continuous layout so when the straight cuts happened the person would be in the same place therefore the audience would recognise them as their name wouldn’t have to be shown every time they appeared on screen.

The camera was at eye level every time a question was answered so there was no power that anyone had as it is an interview and the audience wants to know their opinion. When filming, three out of the four people that was interviewed stayed in the same location. If the Vox Pops was to be filmed again the fourth person would be in the same places to have that continuous edit to the video instead of being the only person in a different location which was not as busy as the first location that the other people was interviewed in.

However, there were three basic questions asked. The reason that the questions wasn’t too complicated was so the interviewee understood them easily and could give a detailed answer which then could be expanded more. All of the questions that were asked got answered well, although the questions was easy, the answers that were said was very similar so if the questions could have changed, there should have been more of a range which would have given better results as there would have been different answers to listen to.

The first question was 'If you were to make your own thriller what would it include?'. The responses that were given:
1) Creating suspense and tension
2)
3)Explosions and car chases
4) Chase scenes, guns and fighting

From the responses that was given it shows that people who watch thriller genres know the typical conventions of what happens in thrillers therefore know what excites people to want to carry on watching the film.                              

The next question was 'What's your favourite thriller, why?'
1)
2) Fast and Furious - includes chase scenes
3) Psycho -
4) Silent Hill - A lot of good characterisation

The third and final question was 'What do you like to see in a thriller?'
1) Things that create suspense and tension
2) Action
3) Action and  adventure
4) Action - fast paced music
 

As well as the questions being changed, the interviewees were all for the same age group, so having the same taste in the thriller films that they like, even though the films that they said was different they were all modern which would appeal to all of them, so filming again would to be choose people of different ages, and different genders making it more interesting to see what different people like.

The camerawork to film the Vox Pops was hard to film as the camera was handheld and at times a bit shaky therefore should have used a tripod to make the shot stable. As well as the camera being shaky the wind made it hard at times to hear so a more closed off space would have benefitted the sound that the camera wasn’t so strong at picking up. Even though the last person was in a different more isolated location, the sound was better there as it was a different time of day and in a quieter place, without people walking around them.

With the editing of the Vox Pop, it looked better as the shot was split into each question that someone answered and put all together therefore not backtracking to different questions that people would get confused on. As the questions was a shot on the screen it gave people a chance to read it for themselves instead of them hearing the question four times for every person to hear as they answered it.
When answering the questions, not one person looked at the camera and straight towards the interviewer which made the Vox Pop successful therefore looking more professional.

From the results that was given, when it comes to making my own thriller opening I will take into consideration what people enjoy and makes them want to watch the thriller more. A lot of action needs to be included, as it is only going to be an opening title it needs to attract the audience by showing them what may happen throughout the rest of the film so they would want to carry on watching it.


Hearing all of the responses from people, the target audience that we have just asked will most likely be around the age that our film is going to be aimed at as well as older, therefore we will take into consideration what responses they have given, to make the opening tense but not giving away all the clues and answers in the first two minutes so they are made to want to ask questions. As well as creating suspense the soundtrack will have a massive impact on how much people would want to carry on watching the thriller, so building up the tension but showing flashback of action that as happened as well as showing good characterisation to get people interested.  

Overall, the Vox Pops was fun to film and I feel that the edited Vox Pop was interesting to watch about other people’s opinions on their favourite thrillers. Apart from what I said that I would change if it was to be filmed again, I feel it is successful.

 

What makes a thriller thrilling?

ISL Week Seven - Coventions of a Thriller Opening

Vox Pops

Prelim Task Evaluation

Preliminary Task Evaluation

 Throughout the task there was a range of shots used to show the audience different places throughout the scene and to make sure continuity was correct when the actors was going through doors and when entering new locations.

At the beginning of the scene there was a close up which zoomed out from the actors legs leading towards to next shot of them coming up the stairs seeming what they look like giving the audience understanding of where they are heading to. There was another use of a close up when opening the door implying that the place they were going was significant for something that was going to happen.

However, when filming the two actors coming up the stairs and through the second door into the room, the camera was not smooth therefore made the shot look shaky so if we were to film it again we would use an elastic band to put onto the camera so the movement would be continuous and not jolty.

Editing was used effectively through the use of straight cuts. For example, when the camera cut from the door closing back to the sweets being thrown onto the floor, back to the door showing how two types of action happening at once.

However, when we filmed we didn’t use a shot reverse shot which we should have used, so if we were to film it again, the shot reverse shot would be added into the scene where the sweets were being passed over which would make it more interesting for the audience as they would see the relationship between the two characters for the audience to work out why this is a flashback and what happened.

A strength that the clip brings out would be the different types of shots showing how the use of shots can make it more effective for the audience, especially the editing of slow motion which builds tension as those parts stand out the most as it is where the most suspense is created.  For example, as the male actor fell to the floor a high shot was used from the antagonist’s point of view showing she had the power through the scene and that she won, whereas the protagonist lost which happens in a typical thriller genre.  

Another strength would be that there were only a small part of dialogue therefore it doesn’t overpower what is actually happen and isn’t too much happening all in one scene it builds up the tension instead of all action happening straight away. Even though there is dialogue, if I was going to create the clip again I would make it a lot clearer and add more suspicious music to cover up the noise of the camera moving but also to make it more interesting.

The title that we used at the start wouldn’t look like the title you would see on the start of a thriller, therefore I would make it look a little different by using more or dark/old colours instead of bright and bold, however at the end of a scene, the titles was used differently by the use of lanyards therefore not typical with writing along the screen. The slow motion of the lanyard gave the audience time to read it as well as it fitting into the suspicious theme of the scene.

The non-diegetic sound created increases suspense, as well as the doors slamming, showing the power what the female actor has, and getting faster paces when the more tense part of the scene reached its peak. Linking to sound is lighting, the places that we filmed, on the stairway we used natural lighting where as in the room that the peak of action happened it was still dark even though we had as many lights as we could have on in that particular room it did not make the scene look brighter as the black and white effect therefore it wasn’t visually exciting for the audience so if the editing was to be done again the use of black and white would be less and only used in the most intense moments.

When planning the prelim, the group had good organisation skills however the day it came to filming we needed to be more organised and get the shots that we needed quicker so we could focus on the main part of the scene instead of the smaller beginnings, therefore time to improve composition and making it look effective by getting every shot right.

The technical skills that I have learnt is where to position the camera to get the shots that are needed, as well as changing shot type and how much different it is to film each shot. However, when filming again the camera skills need to be improved by a smoother finish so the camera is still, therefore using other equipment to get a better range of shots. For example when the actors were walking up the stairs to move back we could have used a tracking shot so the camera didn’t jolt when moving back and is steady.  

Preliminary Task Peer Assessment Feedback

After we finished filming for the preliminary task, other groups assessed what we had done. From the feedback that we got we know where to improve to be able to get the highest grade for our thriller opening.

We didn't use a shot reverse shot which we should have done therefore knew we would get marked down for this, however know to include it in our opening to show the relationship between the two people so the audience know that they are linked in some sort of way.

Most of the feedback that we got was on a L2 - D/E grade, which we are going to improve for the next task and we will do this by taking into consideration where our weaknesses was so we can improve to make our grades higher. One way we can do this is to plan a lot better than what we did, so all of us know what we need to go out and film and what the result needs to be therefore it will be more organised and have a better overall effect.

"Flashback" Preliminary Video

ISL Week Six - Key Thrillers Last 50 Years

ISL Week Five - Effective Continuity Editing

 Week Five – Effective Continuity Editing

Inception (2012) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3-a58Wt2tk

Effective continuity editing is shown here by not breaking the 180° rule. We see here her face over the shot of his shoulder showing the reactions of what he has said or done. 

Followed on in the next shot it shows a shot over her shoulder showing the relationship between the two actors and the reactions from both of them. Also known as a reverse shot between two actors it shows the audience that a conversation is going on between both of the actors through them speaking to each other’s faces. However, if the camera was changing sides, over the 180° line, it would look like they were speaking to each other from the same direction not showing a conversation. 

Whereas effective continuity editing has been done here implying they are talking face to face through shot reverse shots on the third image.

Another effective continuity edit is shown here as the camera has moved back and still not crossed the 180° line. If the camera was going to change it would have to show the audience it crossed, for example, going behind someone showing the change. Although it has moved back to a long shot it has not crossed the line but still showing conversation between the two actors.

Later on in the scene, the camera shows the audience that someone is going through a door by following them to the door opening it and walking through. The camera has to stay on the right-hand side of the actor as he would have crossed over the 180° line and would have been walking the opposite direction to what he should have been.

This shot shows the actor walking the other side of the door, but the camera still on the right of him when he walked through the door so he is not back-tracking on himself from the audience’s point of view.

The camera can move anywhere behind the line, it can get as close to or as far back at any angle but cannot cross it unless it goes behind or in front on the actor or object which cannot be edited out as the audience would not know and it would look as if the actors are talking to themselves.

Storyboard for Pre-Lim

Opening Titles Comparison

Comparison of Opening Titles

I looked at two opening titles to see what was similar and the differences. I chose to study recent titles which was ‘World War Z’ and ‘Fast and Furious 6’, which was two minutes and ten and two minutes seven seconds long, therefore useful to compare to see what was different in the two minutes as they was similar times.

Firstly, ‘World War Z’ had a lot more diegetic sound in as the opening titles included a news report with a lot of talking and in public places, the train station for example, which made the opening titles seem more realistic towards the audience. Compared to ‘Fast 6’ which was more unrealistic events that would happen, for example the car chase which included going underneath lorries and flipping the cars into rivers off trains, interesting but not realistic.

However, ‘Fast 6’ was more gripping for the audience to watch. It included a lot of action that has happened in the past Fast and Furious’ therefore showing the audience the storyline which may encourage them to want to watch ‘Fast 6’. Whereas ‘World War Z’ was slow paced with a more general feel to it, feeling like it could take some time to get to the main action of the movie, as it would make the audience question why there was a news report and making them ask questions about what happened for it to be such a disaster.

Being extremely fast-paced the opening title to ‘Fast 6’ makes a lot of tension for the audience to watch as a lot of action happens in such a short amount of time with names entering and exiting the scene throughout all of the opening sequence. Although, ‘World War Z’ did introduce a lot of names quickly, they was entered into the scene in a different way through the mystery ‘Z’ shape that was panning across the screen throughout the entire title sequence showing chaos and being secretive as there was so many people in the sequence it was not entirely clear of what everyone was doing. However, ‘World War Z’ had a lot more dialogue than ‘Fast 6’ implying that the audience was told the story as in ‘Fast 6’ they had to work it out just through what they had seen. The dialogue in ‘World War Z’ got faster towards the end creating a build up to introducing the film suggesting that it has suspense throughout.

Both of the opening titles contain a signifier that will represent the film. ‘World War Z’ has the ‘Z’ shapes fading in and out of the screen whilst introducing people showing that they title sequence is coming up and clearly implies that the film is starting. In comparison, ‘Fast 6’ introduces new locations, the main actors and scenes through tyre screeches, brakes and car parts to link the two separated scenes together.

Overall, the two sequences are of the same length but a lot of different action happens in both of them, both being fast paced however different types of action being realistic and others being an unusual lifestyle. Both of which may suit the same target audience as they are both popular thriller films that have good ratings.

Stigmata Pitch - Audience Profile

Shot List - Pre Lim

Moovly Animation - Shutter Island Sound Analysis

Psycho Essay

How have the cinematography, sound and Mise-en-scene been used in the ‘Psycho’ shower scene to build up tension?

 

Through use of the low key lighting it helps disguise the antagonist’s identity. From looking at the shot once it gives the impression to the audience that it is a woman. We think this because the long hair signifies that it is a blonde woman. However, as a man is dressed up as a woman, it is playing with gender stereotypes as it confuses the audience of who it actually is.
A golden mean is used here from the knife to their face to the lightening effect on the side, covering the identity. The knife here would be the first object that you look at signifying danger and that there will be a death implying that we know whose it is going to be, we know what is going to happen before the victim does. A close up shot is used to usually show emotion and reaction, however here it is used to but to disguise who it is, giving the audience time to try and work out who it is, but also ask questions of why they are going to kill this woman. The costume here comes across as what a female would wear, for example, a dressing gown what it looks like here as it is unclear because of the interrupted lighting suggesting that it may not have been planned but also it would look more casual and easy to miss as the victim was in the shower which would hide that someone is actually there.

The way the villain is holding the knife is in a violent way implying that they know what they are there for, the grip on the knife is tight implying anger towards the victim. Again the theme of the colours red run throughout the scene, as the clothing that the victim is wearing, stripes of red running throughout, showing that they are linked to the murder.

 

The golden mean is used again in this shot to show the audience that there is someone actually there and that she in oblivious to who it actually is. The line would start at the top left corner where the murders face is blurred straight through the shower down to the victims face.
The use of the shower curtain here is to make it harder to see if someone is there, plus the diegetic sound of the shower which means she won’t be able to hear if anyone is there. The audience can see that someone is there building up suspense as we know what is going to happen. The victim’s unawareness adds to this as it makes the audience want to tell the victim what is happening.
There is high-key lighting here, showing that is a exposed place, which exposes the victim as she is ‘pure’, linking to the fact she isn’t wearing anything so she can’t protect herself with anything, but also as it was so unexpected. This shot is a close up of her face which suggests she is unaware and doesn’t suspect anything, but also a close up of the hidden identity as it can be seen but not enough to know who it is. We see this from a third persons point of view to lead into seeing what her reaction would be but also what the antagonist will do, therefore we see both sides. On her hand she has red nail varnish on, red representing blood, death and danger, but also power which she doesn’t have here. The camera movement here is used for zooming to the person that is coming behind the shower curtain but also panning left to right to show that the innocent victim doesn’t know what is going to happen, therefore being exposed but also that we then know what is going to happen before she does.

 

 

 

Again, this shot is from a third person’s point of view. We see what is happen and what reactions are given also to show the scale of how big the area is that this takes place. From this high-angle shot we see who has the power as the villain is stood up and is in control of the main prop the knife, the villain is the dominant person in this situation. The shower is used as a prop here to so how hard it would be for her to defend her-self as the running water is slippery but also a distraction. She is also portrayed as being pure as she hasn’t got any clothes on so she can’t use any of them to help her.
The high-key lighting runs throughout the bathroom which could suggest innocence, meaning that she may not have done anything wrong or is an easy victim to have. The lighting of the bathroom may mean that there is going to a contrast in colour compared to what it was, for example, from a pure, clear white to a bloody red. Her nail varnish on her hands and toes is red implying that something was going to happen before she go into the shower as it is seen as a deathly colour, as it is the only vibrant colour that she has on her body other than purity.

The only diegetic sound here is the shower running, the water and the screams of the woman; other sound is added, for example the thunder and violins to create tension for when it is going to stop. The violins link into when the stabbing takes place which creates more of an affect for the audience as then her reaction would be worse. Water is usually something to link with calmness and relaxation like a shower should be but however the twisted reaction to what has happened changes what the water would signify.

The villain has no reaction here as the audience does not get to see their face implying that they are getting pleasure out of giving someone pain, giving the audience more confusion of why we don’t see the killer but also why this is actually happening. The body language of the actors conveys meaning by showing who the innocent party is and that the anger is from the killer. The victim cannot fight off the killer as she is too weak and exposed to them; she has nothing to protect herself.

ISL Week Four - Mise-en-scene

Media ISL – Week 4

Mise-en-scene

 

Mise-en-scene is the process of setting a stage, with regard to placement of actors, scenery, properties, etc.

I have chosen to look at the television programme ‘Friends’ to see how Mise-en-scene is used to create the programme but also what affect it has on the audience. ‘Friends’ is set in New York City. The show is mainly set in Monica and Chandler's Apartments, is one of the two most used set pieces in the show, creating a link to the audience that means that’s where the drama is set, being a generic place to film the show. As the show is on a set, Mise-en-scene is crucial to have so it creates a ‘real-feel’ to prove to the audience that it is actually happening, convincing enough to be a real place.

Joey and Chandlers apartment is the typical stereotyped male’s apartment. ‘Friends’ set have created this by putting the typical male items in there, for example the football table, the huge television screen etc. As well as having the usual props the locations that they go to show how the typical male is for example, they eat at the breakfast bar, unlike Monica who cooks fresh and eats at a table, it shows the contrast between the two genders, showing how unorganised the men are and are like children who need everything doing for them.

However, in Monica’s apartment it is very homely with photos all around, decorated parts of the house, a nice lounge with the sofa with pillows and blankets, all the personal touches that a female would give her house. She tends to make homemade food and wants to have feedback from it, implying she is proud of what she cooks. Stereotypically, a female is the homemaker and does do the cooking but as she is alone she spends her time cooking for friends, implying she wants people to know how proud she is that she can cook as it is part of her career in the TV show too.

The setting that they are in is New York, some of the show is filmed in Central Park, which has its own touch to the set of showing people coming together showing how close the cast are together, and the types of relationships between the cast. The setting of being in New York is a big city where it is busy all the time and doesn’t stop, implying that’s what they cast of ‘Friends’ do. 

 

Here in this shot, Mise-en-scene makes the scene seem real even though it is on a set. You have the typical house layout of a lounge and a kitchen with all of the typical elements in it. The lighting here is very bright so we see what is actually going on in the set like we would a normal house.
They are wearing the typical costume that normal people would wear on a day to day basis, casual showing that they are relaxing with no extraordinary make up that changes the way they look.

It is a very calm scene with no huge events that is happening portraying that they do live a normal life.

The camerawork shows between a mid and long shot showing the audience the relationship that the actors have with each other making it seem more realistic.

 

 

 

 

However, in this still it is showing the audience a major event that is happening in their life and showing how they go about it. The white dress shows purity and the bridesmaids dress showing a theme throughout the shot, gold being the main colour.

The props that are used are the flowers that the bridesmaids are holding as well as the costume implying where they are going what they are doing and what type of day it is.
The four characters being together shows the close relationship that they have, with the high-lighting, suggests it is a special moment they share as they are close friends and go through big events together.

 

 

 

 

The theme of big events shows how special the moments can be throughout the television series and how much they and us as an audience can change. They are in a key location of the apartment where most of the acting happens, as well as everyone being together to see how close they all are and what happens on a normal day. The costume and make-up that they are wearing is all very normal and something you would expect to see people wearing on a day to day basis proving that they go through events as normal people.
The camerawork shows how everyone has come together for the babies, implying the friendly relationship they all have by showing the main actors all together, possibly and ending scene and a big part of the show for everyone to witness.

 

ISL Week Three - Haunting in Connecticut 2 Analysis

Media ISL- Week 3
The Haunting in Connecticut 2 – Ghosts of Georgia

This 2013 horror is about a young family who moves into a historic home in Georgia, learning they are not the house's only inhabitants. They find that they end up in the presence of a secret rising from the underground and anyone that goes down their path would be a threat to them and will be brought down. For it only being a 5.2 rating I found that the film was fascinating to watch as there was scares throughout and it kept me interested.

 

This long shot of the main character, the little girl shows how innocent she is, we see this by the teddy she is carrying and also the look on her face. The dark lighting is used as it builds up mystery as we cannot see what is going to happen, however light is only shown on her face, implying the only thing that is important here is the reactions on her face, like here, looking terrified. As she is a little girl we know as an audience she isn’t strong enough to help herself but as it is only her in the shot it builds up suspense to wonder if she is going to get out and how she will do it.

 

 

A two shot here shows the relationship that they have between each other. The taxidermist becomes a threat to the female, implying that she isn’t strong enough or has the power to defend herself, showing gender representation of a female to be weaker than if it was a man.

The high-lighting emphasises the dangerous situation that she is in, creating more tension by not hiding everything from the audience so they can see what is happening as soon as she does.

 

 

The father of the little girl is a police officer, often seen as a protector implying that she is going to be safe. The gun that he is holding suggests he knows that something is wrong but is also ready to protect his family.
The mid shot is used to show his stance but also part of the setting that he is in, a deserted area, suggesting he wants to be the protector of his family. In this shot there is a golden mean, showing that the audience the gun first, then to show he is a police officer, then to the truck, which may suggest more of an easy way to get away from whatever the danger is in the movie.

 

 

Here there is high-lighting even though it is at night when this happens, emphasising what is going on outside. The two shot showing the shock of what’s going on by the female in that background whilst seeing her sister dead shows she is in danger and cannot protect her family.

 

 

 

Religion is also used in the film showing how it can protect people but also to rely on religion that they are going to be safe. The little girl is the main focus of this mid shot as she is the one in danger. The vicar is the only person wearing red which implies he has the power to stop the danger by saving this little girl. The low key lighting shows the audience this is happening at night which makes it harder to find the path therefore it being more challenging for the family.