This is a blog, which shares to the world our A/S level media studies production, which is based on the genre of Thriller. We have been set the task to create the opening to a thriller film, lasting 3 minutes. We all hope you enjoy going through the whole construction of the film, and eventually enjoy the film itself!
Created by :
Danny Hammond ( 3261 )
George Matthews ( 3376 )
Ryan Curry ( 3142 )
Ben Cusworth ( 3144 )
Even though this day has not yet happened, due to the fact that we will be filming all day tomorrow, I decided to whip up a small plan for what we shall be doing tomorrow.
We will be traveling up to a graveyard to get the final couple of shots for the film, where the victim had died. The killer will also be in this scene overlooking the dead victim. We have checked the weather forecast and all seems to be perfect for the occasion - very similar weather to todays, which is very important for continuity.
I will update how this went tomorrow, when it has been done.
Today whilst editing we realized that a fundamental scene was missing from today's work, so we had to go out and do some re-filming.
Luckily, the weather had not varied too much, and all of the costumes were still in tact, so continuity wasn't an issue for us, whereas in the past, it has been our major downfall.
We used a basic tracking long shot for this scene, to really capture the movements of the victim.
After thinking about our film, we decided that the acting is very important for a thriller film. To build up suspence, the actors must be very mysterious and weird which will instantly build up tension in the eyes of the audience. Here I have listed the actors used in scenes, and how we have tried to portray their emotions and feelings effectively.
Father (Mr Pipe) - Lots of long shots have been used so we can see his body positioning so we can strongly capture his body emotions. We have tried to make him as hunched up as possible, to portray the fact that he is insecure. Although he is a villain (The audience doesn't know this) he still has feelings and emotions. Facial expressions are the most important feature to portraying emotions and feelings. We have tried to get the most worried looking face out of our actor as possible, without making it look to unrealistic.
Victim (Myself) - Body expressions have been made to be fast and jerky. This has been done to portray the fact that he is feeling scared and very concerned for his own wellbeing. We don't see too much of this character standing still, as he is mainly running. Due to the fact that he is running, we can instantly tell he is scared and probably involved in a chase. Facial expressions used are very natrual. Mostly we see the character looking very tired and out of breathe, as well as looking completely petrified! There is not many facial expressions used by this character, until the end, where we see a shot looking directly at me, with the killer in the background. Here the facial expressions display a sense of relief, as the victim believes he is safe, but the audience know he isn't!
Killer (Ben) - This character is very hard to describe. His body and facial expressions are very limited, as he is a mysterious character. The main body expression for him is his motionlessness. The fact that he is chasing someone, yet hardly moving shows the audience that he is very good at this, and knows exactly what he is doing, although on screen it would appear he doesn't. The character is wearing a mask, meaning we never see his facial expressions. Finally, when the killer does make his movements, they are very fast and sudden, and quite jerky, which fits the conventions of a thriller well.
So far we have managed to get to the initial filming stage. We have tried a few different narratives, but through filming, we have decided every time that we didn't like it. Today we have pledged that the opening we done today is our definite opening, and we were all very happy with it. On the 29th we shall be focusing primarily on editing and blogging, whilst whipping up some detailed storyboards for the film work we will be doing on the 30th. The 30th we shall be traveling to our main location to get as much filming as humanly possible done, without making it appear too rushed. With the problems we have been occurring of late, I am very sure that the whole of the group will take this filming very seriously, and we will get it done to a good standard, due to the fact that everyone will be putting in one hundred and ten percent.
After looking over our film, we decided that the footage didn't really fit very well in the thriller genre. We thought that the narrative was quite good, just the beginning featured too much dialogue and too little shots. After thoroughly analyzing our work, and getting other to do the same, we decided to scrap the opening scene, and also add a lot more different angles for the 'new' opening.
The next difficulty we stumbled across was the fact that none of us fitted the character requirements. To overcome this issue, we found an older volunteer who fitted the criteria almost perfectly. Our only issue with our new found actor, was he was a little bit amateur. After quite a few shots, we finally got it perfect!
Location was difficult for the opening scene. We needed complete darkness, ideally. Due to the fact it was during day time, this was next to impossible to achieve. To overcome this, we are going to have to alter the filters, making the scene darker in places, but where light is needed, keep it the same. The only issue that may occur from this is the fact it may not look very realistic. Hopefully we can edit it well enough to save it, and make it look good.
Finally, the SD came along to be our worst enemy! As a group we made a completely awful mistake being putting the wrong SD card into the camera, meaning we have had to get it all fixed, and the program to be changed over, which had to be done by a proffessional. This process can take a long time, as it is a complex task! This means for the remainder of our time, we could not edit ot do anything to our footage, meaning a lot of time was wasted. Time has been a massive problem for us, in the sense that we are not very good at managing the time wisely.
The micro element of sound it extremely affective in any film, but in any case when it comes to a certain genre of film, sound usually has a specified role to play. In the case of thriller, conventions would have us expecting sound to help build tension and suspense within a thriller film. All the micro elements linked to the film in question usually converge together to help reach a genre goal which allows the film to use it's other macro elements to meet it's other conventions.
Within this opening scene from "The Dark Knight" we can see sound used within the conventions of thriller. We can break down the sound used into 8 certified groups.
1) Dialogue - Conversation between characters within the film itself
2) Diegetic Sound - Things the characters can hear in the 'real world', we and the actors in the film can hear diegetic sound
3) Incidental Music - background music which adds to the atmosphere and in some cases to the action going on in the film
4) Non diegetic sound - Sounds that do not exist in the 'real world' of the film, for example, the soundtrack which the characters cannot hear
5) Sound bridges - When a sound carries on from one scene to another, or when we hear a sound ant then it cuts to the scene where the sound is coming from
6) Sound effects - Sound effects are added during the post production to build up the mood and is usually used to reinforce certain sounds actors and objects make
7) Sound track - A complete audio component to a film to include all sounds, specifically the music track
8) Voice Over - When the audience can hear a character, specifically over the top of a scene, often telling us what they feel and why they're feeling it
All though not all these elements will be incorporated in any one film, a select few are usually always used.
Dialogue Analysis
Dialogue between the minor characters in the scene is rather fast paced. The snappy conversation between the minor characters is used to support the fact they're robbing a bank and must be fast about it, keeping concentration is of vital importance. When things start to pick up the minor characters begin to shout demands - "...HEADS DOWN HEADS DOWN!" - this is used to create tension between all the characters within the film and the audience, with the helpless people within the bank being scared and surprised by the robbers' unexpected appearance. Dialogue from the main character - The Joker - is completely void, we do not hear him talking at all through out the whole scene. As we can see this meets the conventions of mystery and the unknown are met through the lack of dialogue between The Joker and the other minor characters within the scene. Dialogue within the scene is guiding the audience through the notions being performed by the characters.
Diegetic sound
Examples of diegetic sound are pretty apparent through out the scene. The glass being smashed at the very beginning of scene is the frist example of diegetic sound. Other sounds that follow such as the grapple-gun and the sound of them swinging from one building to another. These sound all fit action/stunts which is another major convention of thriller films. All other Diegetic sounds such as gun shots also meet conventions of thriller, weapons and stunts are the two main conventions reinforced by the simple use of diegetic sound.
Incidental Music
The incidental music is probably the most effective way to set the atmosphere of the film/scene. Incidental music runs through out this scene to deliver the simple connotations that are used to back up the conventions of the thriller genre. The music at the start of the film is rather quiet, with a very light ticking probably used to simulate the fact they are fighting against the clock to rob this bank. When the glass is broken the ticking becomes more clear and apparent. When the car pulls up to pick up The Joker, drums are brought in to show his importance as he enters the car. As the car pulls away the music goes quiet again, to show the change in importance. From this short few seconds of the opening sequence, incidental music has already played a massive role in delivering tension and suspense to the audience, with elements of the music also setting the vital atmosphere, allowing the audience to develop their ideas on what is happening through out the scene. Through out the scene the incidental music continues to do this, backing up the bigger underlining macro elements of the film, allowing all the themes of the film to take effect shortly after the scene.
Non Diegetic sound
Non diegetic sound comes in the form of the Incidental music in the scene.With all other sound effects being added to clarify some actions being made during the scene. The characters cannot hear the music in the background that builds the tension and suspense behind what they're doing.
Sound Bridges
Sound bridges only occur with the incidental music that plays through out the scene, the music carries over into different scenes with characters carrying out different lines of actions, this is done to keep tension and suspense built up within the film and to maintain the connection between the narrative of the events occurring in the scene and the audience.
Sound effects
Sound effects such as gun shots fit the thriller genre very well, with these sounds matching up with the simply conventions of thriller films. Other sound effect that were possibly added during some stunts were also used to back up the notions of what's happening in the specific scene. Other sound effects could be used to add clarity to make certain nosies more noticeable, so that the audience is better engaged with what's occurring within the scene.
There is no voice over and the soundtrack is all these elements put together. With all this combined, the scene has a certain sense of speed, uncertainty, mystery with a strange atmosphere set but the incidental music. All these fit perfectly into the conventions of the thriller genre. Putting tension and suspense at the for-front of what's occurring during the scene, making the audience question what's happening and making them think about why it's happening. The sound allows us to develop relationships with the characters, even though dialogue is short we still gather a better understanding of "The Joker".
In the second installment i will be analyzing some of the camera angles and their effect in the opening of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
We start off in darkness, not a dark room or alleyway but in total darkness, unknowing what is happening in the film. It then flashes close-ups of unknown items. All of these images are dark and very clear giving them a cold, dead look. This could be used for the effect of making the viewer feel rather isolated and that the film has a very dark setting and plot.
It then cuts to a view of calm water. This view is not long at all and after it has been shown it cuts back to the unknown objects, but this time it shows water flowing over and around them. This could be to provide an effect that the water is a cause of death and that the reason the setting is cold and dark is because of the water. It gives the water an almost omni-present role.
It continues like this until we reach a shot where it is a close-up of an image of a dragon. The dragon image is a silver colour on a black background which adds to the cold feel. The water doesn't run as quickly or in as much volume over the dragon causing a viewer to know that the dragon bears an importance and is a powerful symbol.
After the title which 'melts' into water it cuts to a person thrashing while tied and gagged. The person has water running all around them, it then repeats back and forth between this person and a keyboard which also has water running across it. the water in this scene runs moves slowly almost casually which gives the effect that the water is a slow, content killer that does not need to move quickly.
All of these close ups while being the same shot, all give effects to the cold nature of the water and the setting.
Here I am going to present a variety of different thriller scenes, from different films. I shall analyse them, saying why they are conventional to thrillers, and how they relate to what is going on at this particular point in the film.
Here we see a great example of a monotonous sound playing to build up tension. doing this, the audience becomes 'stuck' to the screen, and are paying quite a lot of attention to the soundtrack, as it goes along with the action going on on the screen. The music then changes and more instruments are introduced, to tell us that something is about to happen most likely. This method can also be used to create a red herring, as the soundtrack makes us feel that something is about to happen, when it isn't.
In the case of this film, this piece is used a couple of times. It is most known for playing at the beginning, the boat scene. Using this heavy piece tells the audience that the location the characters are heading to is not a good place, and you don't even have to look at the screen to know this, although it is supported by the pictures which come up on screen.
The soundtrack could also relate to a boats horn. A boat will use its horn when it is in distress, to attempt to alert help. This particular soundtrack sounds very much like a horn, and could be foreshadowing the fact that the people on this boat are going to become in distress.
Here we can hear a more fast paced theme playing, as batman fits more into the action-thriller genre. The fast pace is used to fit the conventions of an action film, but in the background we can hear this repetitive drum sound and bass sounds, which fit more into the thriller conventions, making it perfect for the combinations. The cello (string noise) playing also has its thriller conventions, as it is a very mysterious sound, and it is the main thing which entices the audience and keeps them watching.
This soundtrack fits the film well, as Batman is always in a high speed chase or a fight, so having this fast paced soundtrack really fits his character.
This piece also sounds very dark, which is rather fitting, as it is the dark knight. This piece is used to represent the dark knights personality and maybe even is current mindset at the current time of the music. Is he built up with anger and hate when the fast pace music is playing? When it goes soft, is he feeling some sympathy?
If you concentrate more on the actual opening, we hear this very innocent few notes being played, with very soft wind instruments and string instruments. Along with this, we hear very young children in the background giggling. This part of the music shows innocence and youth, which we know is taken away from the main character, Hanibal. The music then changes to more aggressive sounds, which tells the audience something is going to happen, this is followed by bombs going off. The sounds in this clip follow very closely what is going on in the shot, as it is a flashback (a very 'thriller' convention).
When the innocent playful music is going on, we can tell something bad is going to happen, it just tells us children are involved, and makes the tension even greater, because audience hates to see bad things happen to children. The scenes become quite graphic and the music certainly follows this pattern. If the music had a picture, it would be very aggressive and horrible to watch, just like the scene being shown on screen.
I have decided to take a look at another AS thriller opening called Parity.
The opening title shot i think was filmed in much more of a horror style, the font is red and black which is very much a convention of horror films the words are over a very dingy wall with a green filter but this is once again more of a thriller setting a place with dingy walls
We then cut to a man in a bathroom standing over a dead body whilst holding a knife this makes it more of a thriller as they have not made it a really gory murder they just show that he has killed the other guy. The soundtrack for this part is very fitting with the piece and uses the same conventions as many thriller film soundtracks.
The next few seconds consist of him washing his face and then there is about half a second of footage that is flashed in I managed to pause the film and screenshot what is in this half a second it is the murderer about to stab his victim, this is a very good technique as it makes the audience question what they have seen however I think the film could have done with a few more of these as unless i paused it i could not tell what i picture was.
He then continues to search around the toilets and begin to get rid of any evidence, at this point he kicks a knife away and drags a body into a stall. At this point I had so many questions such as why has he killed him, why has he killed someone in a toilet and why does he think by placing a body in a toilet stall that he will not be found out as the murderer, however, through this major plot holes we still see some good use of camera work and editing. One shot i particularly liked was when he kicked the knife away, he begins to pick up the body and in doing so he realises he also needs to hide his weapon so he drops the legs of the body kicks away the knife and then continues to move the victim, although you cannot see his face, therefore making it tough to read his emotions, they have used this shot very well to convey he is not used murder, from his body language you could see he almost forgot to get rid of incriminating evidence and so he clearly isn't very careful and so we assume he hasn't done this before.
He then continues to clean the toilets and go back to pick up the knife he earlier kicked now i have a real problem with this because why would he kick the knife under a toilet stall to only return seconds later to pick it up and place it in his pocket, he then continues out of the toilet and we watch as the door slowly brings itself to a close.
We have recently been out to film our actual thriller opening and in this time we have had continuity and audio errors, we found some people didn't come in in the same costumes as before so we have had to go back and re-film some parts already. We have also had the issue that people were not projecting there voices very well so in an attempted to fix this we re-filmed the audio and then i detached the audio and added it to the video, however, the original filming is outdoors and the re-filmed audio was done indoors, there is a very noticeable difference in the echo of the voices so therefore I plan to once again re-film the audio for the shot outdoors tomorrow along with filming a new scene.
After spending literally HOURS making this and trying to get it to work, I finally managed it!
If the video doesn't play on blogger (Which it seems to enjoy not doing), please click on the title of the video, which will re-direct you to you-tube, where it SHOULD play fine!
In this post I will be analysing key camera angles in select thriller films and the effects that they contain.
SE7EN:
The first camera angle used in the opening is a close up on a book. The close up is on the top of the book as it is lying on something. The close up cause shadows to be more pronounced and causes light to be distorted so that while the view of the pages may be pronounced, any image beyond that is blurred and hard to distinguish. This use of light to put extra emphasis on the book begins the film with a very dark and gloomy feel to it and sets the tone for what is to come. It may also lead a viewer to feel uncertain of just what is going to come and why so much emphasis is on a simple book.
The next scene shows a tilted close up on a diagram of two hands. The camera here is not completely stable and shakes just enough that if you are paying attention it gives the impression of shivering. This along with the shadows moving across the diagram gives the scene a sinister feel to it and that while the diagram itself may not play any significant part in the film, the connotations that it has might.
The next scene offers close ups of different pieces of machinery. The individual pieces of machinery are very hard to recognise not only due to the fact that the machinery you see is general parts such as gears and hinges, but that the scene is dark and the camera 'flashes' often. This gives the effect that these machines are supposed to be intentionally dark and enigmatic and that the viewer should be disturbed when they are near.
The next scene is a close-up of a man slicing pieces of skin off of his fingers with a razor blade. Due to the camera using the same effects mentioned earlier this whole scene becomes extremely disturbing. The mans fingers have a lot of dead skin on them and they appear rough and callused, giving the man a corpse like look. This could leave the audience wondering just why the man is mutilating himself and why he appears dead, which ties in to the film where the killer (to avoid spoilers) 'cuts' a victim with a similar item.
The scenes continue on in this fashion with each scene being dark and normally a close-up on an item. This would leave a viewer not only slightly disturbed by what they have seen but curious as to what the items and the way they were filmed have to do with the story of the film.
Link to video:
http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/se7en/
I have chosen to analyse the scene where Jules and Vince go to see some clients whilst they are eating there breakfast. The scene begins with a few seconds of silence as the dialogue continues there are long pauses between sentences, this is a way of creating tension in the scene making in very suspenseful. Jules says that the people are business partners of "Marcellas Wallace." We have heard previously that he is not a very nice man but we have yet to meet him in the film this give him an element of mystery and an intriguing backstory. Then Jules begins to intimidate one of the people in the apartment called Brett he uses his loud booming voice as a way of making Brett feel small, he keeps asking to have some of his food although he is asking him Brett knows it is best not to refuse as he clearly knows Jules is the type of man who would kill over something that small.
At the 3 minute mark they use the lighting very well when Jules is asking the other man a question he is in the light however when he is interrupted he turns into the darkness to shout "I don't remember asking you a goddamn thing." This shows that if you get on the wrong dark side of him he will turn on you. The next key point is when Brett begins to try and talk his way out of the situation and all of a sudden Jules takes his pistol and fires it next to the man laying on the couch, then there is a long silence the tension at this point of the scene is at it's climax we have no idea what Jules is going to do next he have recognised he is very unpredictable and makes decisions on impulse he then circles Brett making very nervous he asks him a question and when Brett says "what" Jules flips over the table and explodes into a fit of shouting, shooting and swearing he then reads his bible passage that has now become iconic and then him and his partner vince kill Brett and the man on the couch.
The costumes used in the scene are very interesting, the costumes worn by Brett and his friends are casual showing that they weren't expecting a call from Jules and Vince, however, the costumes worn by Jules and Vince are very formal this shows that not only were they very well prepared for what was to happen but that also they are not petty criminals they clearly do this for a living as they have a proper outfit for there 'job.'
The camera work is mostly close-ups and medium shots, the medium shots show what the characters are doing but aren't too far away we can't tell what is happening, the close-ups are used to show the emotions of the characters especially the anger on Jules' face and how afraid Brett is.
Here I have attempted to analyse three different A-level thrillers, examining the good, the bad and the definite avoid points of each of the films. Firstly, I would like to thank the students who made these films for creating such great films, and allowing me to analyse them and put them into this blog! They are all fantastic and are really helpful to us.
First up, we have my personal favourite, 'Heavens gift'.
This film uses some absolutely fantastic camera techniques, experimenting with higher angles, lower angles close ups and long shots. With using all of these different techniques collaboratively, we can see how such versatility can come together to create such a good collection. Also, with all of these different cuts being used, contingency would have been a hard aspect to maintain. The directors of this film have done a fantastic job to prevent any slight mistakes being made, which I was looking out very closely for!
Not so frequently used special effects also featured in the film, mainly being the screen being made blue, very briefly. At first, I wished this had been done more often, but I later realised that only used it the couple of times it was, made the moment more cherished and also allowed other thriller conventions to be explored.
The location used fitted every single thriller convention possible. Being out in the forest not only created that extreme eeriness that every thriller fan loves, but also acted as a catalyst for the audiences mind, making them think up their whole own narrative as to why he is in the forest?
The final positive I am to make of this film is the sounds and soundtrack used throughout. The scary, fast paced backing sound really added tension to the chase, making the audience really feel part of it. The additional diagetic sounds, such as the birds and the leaves, added to the realism of the film, making it all seem so possible, ultimately making the whole situation more scary!
The main negatives I picked up from this film mainly are based around the camera quality, which is not really in the fault of the students. I thought the whole opening was a little fuzzy, losing that sense of actually being in the situation of the character. The brightness also was too high, maybe being the fault of the sun, rather than the students, so I cannot complain too much!
Finally, I personally did not like the fact that the ending credits are in silence. I beleve that with a scary soundtrack behind it, the ending credits also could have added tension.
Next up we have a film called 'The Betrayal'.
This film has a very confusing narrative, which I actually took a liking to, very uncharacteristicly of myself. Despite the fact that personally I would never risk not having a real point to the film, I believe that this particular one actually gets away with it.
The acting was another particualr point that I liked about this film, especially the boy with the cornrows. I think his facial expressions used in this film, and his tone of voice really fit well into the thriller conventions. I also liked the approach from the other boy, as at this point, the tension within me was raving, which is very much so the whole point of a thriller! Also, the actors and directors done a good job on keeping the contingency to a tee! This is something that if messed up, can be so costly to a film, especially a thriller, as it can completely kill off the tension, as you are thinking about that, rather than enjoying the film.
The location of a graveyard is so very conventional of a thriller film. We see this kind of location used so often, yet it never becomes too 'cheesy'. It also allows the whole narrative to expand greatly, with lots of possibilities, and great potential for a thriller film.
Finally, quite a strange point to make here, but I loved the fact that the title was at the end. It allowed us to watch the film, rather than trying to guess how the title fits with the film, as it is quite a confusing one. Instaed, it gives us the film, which itself is confusing, and then gives us the added confusion by giving it a crazy title. Definitely something I may look to do with our film.
On to the bad points from this film now. Firstly, although crows are very conventional to a thriller film, and also are very effective in their appearnce, I don't believe they should be so loud! This probably isn't the fault of the students personally, but I will try and avoid too much noise, because I thought this got quite annoying, as I wanted to hear the dialouge, and the soundtrack, but was continueously distracted by these birds.
Again, the camera quality was quite bad at points. This is not the fault of the students, but I think an important part of a thriller film is to make the audience beleieve they are there, but with bad video quality, it is quite hard to 'Get in it'.
The filming itself is quite bad I think. A little bit of shakyness is good, and it makes the point of view shots seem more realistic, but here I do not beleive it is done intentioanlly, and I think it becomes a little irritating, as you are trying to enjoy the film. As well as this, the camera angles and movements are quite basic, and no real sense of experimentalism is shown. I love a film which is experimental with its camera work, and I believe this one is just a bit too basic.
Finally, we have a film by the name of 'False Pretensions'
I wasn't a particular fan of this film. I believe that the soundtrack ruined it completely. I think it is too chirpy and upbeat for this genre. The soundtrack would have been acceptable in a chase scene possibly, but this isn't a chase seen, and I do not believe it belongs in it. Also, I liked the fact that the film was in back and white. I think it broke the laws of audience preference, and it is almost saying that its not preference, more expectance, meaning that you still like this film, even though you didn't expect to! This was ruined for me when the film changed to colour. Not only was the transition weirdly placed, it didn't really have a point. One or the other would have been much better. I wasn't such a fan of the whole narrative either. I thought the storyline was far too confusing, and I really hope I am not the only one who doesn't understand it! I think the idea may be good, but two minutes may not have been enough to explain what the film really meant. A couple of sound issues I picked up on also, my main problem focusing around the telephone. Even though I didn't like the soundtrack, as the telephone rang, it really drowned out the soundtrack, not by merely making the soundtrack quieten, but by just over-powering it, making a collateral noise! Finally, the acting wasn't great. I know this isn't a drama piece, but a little bit of convincing acting really makes a film! The actors used as well may have been a little older than necessary I believe that the target audiences of these films, being teenagers, relate more to those of their own age, rather than adults?
Despite me moaning a lot, I found a lot of good aspects about this film also. I really liked the opening titles. I think these really worked well, and fitted in nicely with the thriller genre, by being eerie and mysterious. I liked the idea of the interaction between the audience and the actors. This was displayed by handwriting onto paper. I think this was all very mysterious, and very conventional of a thriller. Speaking of these, I also liked the use of multiple realistic props. I think these added to the realism perfectly.
The first sound and image is waves on the sea. The sound here is very loud for a background noise so at first it may seem as if its just to show emphasis on the water and of Dicaprio washing up on the beach. Later on though a there is a scene similar to this which is key to the plot line of the film so the extra sound here makes you realise later on when the similar scene is playing that they are meant to be similar. The extra sound acts as an association between the two. Then there is the children's laughter. This is not as loud as the water so it seems as if the water is blocking Dicaprio and his children, which in a way it is due to the water scene later on being part of something bigger that affects his role with his children. Throughout the rest of the opening background sound appears to be normal, not too loud not too quiet which at the time may seem like they just didn't need anything special, but after viewing the film you realise that having the sound normal in that scene is too make it seem real, which is juxtaposed in the fact that that scene is actually a dream.
We asked a few people to watch a clip from Taken (link below) we then filmed there reaction and interviewed them about the scene. From the interviews I have noticed A strong actor and heavy tension are the best recipe for thriller success and so i will try and incorporate these heavily in our films by using actor casting to get the best actors and using thriller codes and conventions to create suspense and tension.
A common feature of modern thriller films is a key plot point in the opening sequence that is key to the rest of the film. This plot point will often be a death of a character, a key phrase, a reveal (of anything) or maybe even an explosion.
My first example will be the one that will take the most explaining, the opening sequence to the newest addition to the James Bond film franchise: SKYFALL
BEWARE YE, OF THE SPOILERS BELOW...
The basic plot we are given so far is that the bad guy has stolen a hard drive which contains the information on every NATO member that is currently undercover. Naturally, MI6 wants it back and so have sent Bond to 're-acquire' it. After some happy fun times involving motorbikes, bullets and naturally a digger 'digging' a train, we get to a point where Bond is fighting said villain, atop said train, atop an un-said bridge. Minimising lesser spoilers, bond is shot and falls to his apparent death. This is a major plot twist that has repercussions throughout the rest of the film and acts as a tone setter for the film.
Unfortunately i am unable to provide a clip of the opening due to its recent release in cinemas, but the above plot is correct due to it being fresh in my memory.
Second example: The Dark Knight
I apologise for frequently using this film but it is in my eyes one of the best in most aspects of a thriller.
We open with a view of Gotham, we are shown a robbery taking place by some henchmen in clown masks who are revealed to be working for The Joker due to one of them stating ''I know why they call him The Joker''. After the henchmen kill each other off (orders from The Joker) the last one is spoken to by a bank worker he has injured, at this point in time this henchman is un-remarkable, he hasn't spoken, he hasn't kill anyone obvious and he hasn't done anything grand. Our whole view of him drastically changes when it is revealed that he is The Joker. This is the major plot twist as it sets the tone for the films main antagonist and provides an insight into how his character works.
I probably don't need to spoil anymore films by giving examples but they all share a same trait. Every bit of plot that they reveal plays a significant part on either the characters or the story throughout the rest of the film.
Thriller films rarely have an excess of sound in each scene. In fact, for many it appears that most background sound is either quietened or gone altogether. Normally, the only sounds you will be likely to hear (excluding actors speaking or the soundtrack) would be sounds that are viewed important or sounds that will add suspense/drama to a scene.
Take for instance the opening to The Dark Knight. I am using this film again (along with the other members of my group) to provide a deep analysis into multiple parts of its anatomy. You may be thinking that there isn't a lack of sound and that you are hearing what you would hear anyway, you would be incorrect to assume this. If you listen closely, what do you hear? Strangely quiet for one of the busiest (fictional) cities in the world isn't it? This is not shoddy editing, this is great editing. The lack of sound makes you focus on the soundtrack and its effects that add to the suspense of the current situation, it gives you an idea that something is about to happen, not happened, or happening. The lack of other background sound means that more of your brain is being devoted to the other sounds you are hearing, more attention is spent on the spoken words and their emphasis, the soundtrack and its complexity and impact on the scene and finally the key background noises the editor either added or kept in.
The first i will point out is the smashing glass and subsequent sounds up until they reach the alternate rooftop. The smash is the first background noise we are given and it immediately thrusts us into the idea that we are witnessing a key event, after this there is only the sound of the two joker henchmen preparing their grapple, the lack of other sounds makes this a tense moment while maintaining a sense that the event that is happening was planned.It then cuts to another of the jokers henchmen (later revealed to be the joker himself) and all background sounds are removed again. While doing this the camera slowly zooms in on the clown mask with the chilling soundtrack playing in the background which furthers the suspense already acquired and gives a hint that this particular henchman or the symbolism of this mask is important in this event. After the close up, a car pulls up next to him. the sharp sudden sound along with the change in tempo of the soundtrack acts as a jump-start so that we, the viewers, would know that the event that is happening has just kicked into a higher gear. Then, while the two original henchmen are zip-gliding over the street to the other rooftop it does include normal city background noises. This is to show to viewers that these henchmen are doing a suspenseful event, on an ordinary day, where there are no changes to cause what they are doing.
All in all, these uses of background noise (and lack of) is to lay out an idea of what is happening to the viewer without having to say or do anything else, while also adding to the suspense and mystery of what is happening and making us curious to what happens after this.
