Titles Style Concept Sheet

Last week I worked on a concept sheet for the style of the titles in the title sequence, bringing together a few of our group's ideas.

Thriller Narrative idea Development

In today's lesson we looked into developing the basic narrative of various thrillers by adding elements such as modern technology. For example, we took the basic plot of Taken, however replacing the main character's daughter with his Facebook account. Instead of going to Paris and shooting the bad guys, he could be an expert hacker who travels to the darker places of the web and listening to the private conversations and hacking into the various cyber criminals who have interacted with his account, uncovering a large conspiracy. Whilst a little extreme, there is potential for this idea to be refined into a more believable narrative.

A similar narrative combines more traditional thriller elements, a hacker discovers a plot to assassinate a powerful figure and attempt to stop it.

9 Shot Preliminary Analysis

9 shotanalysis JF

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Preliminary Task Conclusion - Audience Feedback

Link to comments

In this task, we have received multiple feedback comments about how well our group's work fits the criteria for this project. Both of these comments explain that our preliminary task meets all of the criteria, and includes a match on action, shot/reverse/shot and use of the 180° rule. Also, good and bad points have been presented which will be considered when we begin work on our practical task.

Both critics have stated that the use of camerawork and editing in the preliminary task is good, with the use of conventional editing techniques establishing a sense of continuity and a "natural style" in this scene. However, also recognized in the comments is the use of "imaginative" camera angles, which whilst conforming to the Thriller genre, show "what the audience is required to take in". An example of this is the close up of the latches of the case, with the use of focus clearly highlighting the action which the audience should know is happening, which helps the viewer's sense of the continuity in the scene.

On comment notes that the pace of editing in this clip is somewhat faster then the expected pace would be. Whilst this can be considered a good point creating what he describes as a "sense of urgency", I'm not sure that we intended to do this, and so pace of editing will be something to remember to consider in our next project.

Another topic covered by the feedback comments is the use of mise-en-scene. Unlike the feedback about camerawork and editing, some bad points are clearly presented. One of these was the use of set. The use of what appears to be an office is somewhat unusual, and whilst it does make the suited character seem powerful, it is also somewhat contrasting with his costume, with the use of dark clothes and a Trilby hat making him look 'shady', perhaps a different, darker environment should have been used.

To continue, the lighting of the scene could also be improved, again because of the contrast with my character's clothes with the setting. As recommended in the comment, low key lighting could be used as it would conform to the Thriller genre.

Feedback on the use of sound is scarce, however in my opinion the audio in our preliminary task could be greatly improved. This is due to the fairly rushed nature of our work on that key area in post.

To conclude, in our next task we will use our feedback form this task and be more conscious of pacing, set design and location, lighting and sound.

Thriller Analysis - Suspense

Cape Fear

In Cape Fear suspense is created through the use of music and shot composition. Throughout the duration of the antagonist's presence in a scene, very ominous music plays. This is a clear sign to the viewer of this man's antagonistic presence within the plot and builds the level of suspense. Shot composition is utilised frequently to build the level of suspense, with use of shadow and fragmentation of characters to prevent the audience from constructing an omniscient understanding of the scene, creating suspense through their lack of knowledge of where/who the character is.

This is seen prominently in the scene in which the antagonist in the movie, Max Cady approaches the young schoolgirl. This scene is shown predominantly from her view, which allows for fragmented views of characters to be used, since she is shown hiding and peering out towards her supposed assailant. At the beginning of this scene, the girl sitting in a car looks through the windscreen, and the antagonist is singled out from the other people by being framed as dead central in the shot. This connotes that even though this scene is shown through the girl's perspective, the antagonist is still a more powerful figure. His slow approach towards the girl (and the camera) coupled with the way the shot is framed from within the car promotes the feeling of the girl being trapped builds up tension and suspense until it is somewhat released as she flees the car.

Silence of the Lambs

As opposed to Cape Fear, the more modern Silence of the Lambs builds up suspense through using the view of the antagonist. In the climactic scene, the protagonist is seen through the antagonist's view, rather than the other way around. This is due to the lights in the basement being switched off, and the room being completely dark. Whilst the protagonist is unable to see anything, the antagonist can clearly see her due to the use of night vision goggles. This builds up suspense as the audience can see for themselves how helpless the woman is and how much of an advantage the antagonist has over her, as well as his body is fragmented, we see his hands from first person, and a shot of his face is also present, with the upper part of it being blocked from view by his goggles. This fragmented image builds up suspense as the viewer is not able to clearly see the threat, causing him to be dehumanised to the point where he represents evil and danger, rather than a person.

Preliminary Task - Research

Today our group carried out research for the preliminary task by viewing some of the heart above's attempts at the task. I now have a much clearer understanding of what the task entails, as well as a few ideas on how we can get started.

We also acknowledged that many of the demonstrations of editing and camera convention were very similar, for example the 'match on action' editing technique is generally shown with a door being opened, and our group would like to try something less generic.

How does "The Shining" fit with the conventions of the Psychological Thriller subgenre?

The Shining fits to the conventions of the psychological thriller sub genre due to the presence of psychological elements within the thriller film. However, the film could also be described as a supernatural thriller, since there is a supernatural element to the plot, which intertwines very closely with the psychological element to the point where it is very hard to distinguish between the two.

Whilst thriller movies often center on a fast paced narrative, rather than characters emotions, the psychological thriller subgenre is somewhat backwards, and the mental aspects of the characters are more prominent, which is demonstrated throughout The Shining in which the main character, Jack Torrance, is shown degenerating into a madman due to cabin fever, and perhaps even the supernatural. As well as these psychological elements, thriller conventions are present throughout the movie, with multiple plot twists and enigmas ("How does the Danny (The boy) know of the evil inhabiting the hotel?", "Who is Tony, Danny's imaginary friend?", "Is Jack speaking to ghosts, or just himself due to his loss of sanity?"). Because of this, it is safe to place The Shining firmly within the boundaries of the psychological thriller genre, however it would not be surprising to see the movie labeled as a supernatural thriller due to the supernatural element being so important in the film's plot.

Group Blog

There is now a blog for our media studies group which I assisted in setting up. I helped with the blog's design, as well as assisting on deciding the name of the group.

You can find the blog at chrisedjonjack.blogspot.com.

Thriller Subgenres

There are many subgenres within the thriller genre, which often incorporate elements from other genres.

• Crime Thrillers combine elements of the Crime genre with those of suspense and excitement of the Thriller genre, and often place action over characters emotions. The two most recognisable types of crime thriller are heist situations and serial killers, for example "The Inside Man" and "Seven".
• Supernatural Thrillers mix themes of the supernatural in with the thriller conventions of storytelling and composition, which may occasionally crossover into the horror genre due to the defining suspense of the Thriller genre.
• Psychological Thrillers use emotional struggles struggles to create suspense and excitement. Whilst physical violence is often present in psychological thrillers, emotional and mental struggles are more important in the plot.
• Conspiracy Thrillers depict the struggle between a relatable character and group or government with vast size and power. Thriller conventions such as plot twists are ever present.

Analysis - Thriller Editing Conventions

Match on Action

A match on action is an editing technique in which multiple shots are used to convey a single action occurring. This allows for very fast, but understandable editing.

Shot/Reverse Shot

A shot/reverse shot is where a character is shown looking at another character, cutting to a shot of the other character looking back. Due to use of the 180° rule, the viewer understands that the two characters are looking at each other

The 180° Rule

The 180° rule is a core fundamental of continuity editing in which an imaginary line which passes through the scene cannot be crossed by the camera, as not to confuse the viewer. The 180° rule is especially prominent in dialogue heavy scenes, in which often important characters are positioned as centered in the line.

Scene Analysis - The Birds

For this blog post we decided to do a voice over analysis to further interest the viewer. We did this by downloading clips from youtube and adding a voice track in iMovie. This approach was fast however we are limited by the choice and quality of clips we could find on the web. Overall, I am pleased with the result of this, and I hope you find the analysis engaging and fun.

"The Birds uses many conventions of the genre of thriller, which can be witnessed in the scene in which a gas station is blown up due to a petrol pump leaking. The scene begins with an establishing shot of the petrol station, which helps to hint the danger of the birds which linger nearby, setting the dramatic mood. A medium shot reveals several characters leaving the building they shelter in to help the man who has been knocked down by one of the birds. This emphasizes the hectic atmosphere of panic, which is a common convention of the thriller genre. Next , we see a close-up of the petrol puddle which is seen approaching the camera very swiftly, used because it clearly highlights the danger of the flammable substance.

This sequence is highly conventional to the thriller genre through use of suspense. The emotion of suspense is created in this section of the sequence through use of reaction shots. Multiple reaction shots are used to show how the unknowing gentleman is in peril, with suspense being created though the slight zoom on the protagonist with each reaction shot, as well as the unclear ending of the scenario."

Conventions of the Thriller Genre

The Thriller genre is defined as having a fearful and exciting plot. There are a huge variety of sub genres in the Thriller genre, such as spy thriller or a romantic thriller, but there are many common elements which thriller films share.

Plot/Narrative

• Twist/s: What the viewer may have anticipated/been hinted is far from the truth
• Dark characters: Sometimes with serious emotional problems or a dark backstory. Sometimes revealed in the form of flashbacks
• Protagonist's weaknesses often exploited
• An Enigma: A question which is not immediately answered which draws the viewer's interest. Many Triller films are based around an enigma: "Who is the murderer", "What event in the past had a deep impact on the protagonist"...
• Themes of danger, menace and mystery
• Suspenseful, gritty and fast paced storyline
• Storyline often about crime, murder, corruption

Mise en Scene

• Dark lighting/noir, low key
• Dirty and dusty props and scenery
• Often modern props/scenery (guns etc), although not restricted to any time period. This is more relatable to the viewer, increasing emotive reaction

Editing

• Varied, fast paced action and slow, brooding suspense
• Dark grading, often with cyan and orange highlights
• Occasionally obtrusive: Flashbacks, slow-mo etc

Title Sequence - Vantage Point

From Art of The Title

"Vantage Point" has a short, one minute title sequence, in which an attempt is made to convey the themes of the movie to the audience.
The main stylisation of this piece is the use of a 'fractured' layering of shots over each other, which is highly relevant to the key slant of the film, of how different people perceive an event.
As such, some elements of the sequence, such as the gun, may go unnoticed or surprise a viewer.
The use of this effect also makes the sequence much more interesting than if the clips were static.

The colour scheme of this sequence is fairly restrictive, with almost every element having a gradient mapped tint of sepia/gold, with the credit text being the exception.
The text is easy to read, which contrasts with the odd and confusing shapes of the other elements.
Names of companies and organisations in the title credits are emphasised in uppercase, while all other text is lowercase.
The main title is a mix of the two contrasting styles, beginning as unrecognisable shapes which slide together to create clear, dark text, which contrasts massively with the yellow and orange tones of the clips behind.

Very conventional music is used throughout, ominous beats and clicks with deep bass crescendos, which clearly conveys the thriller genre of the movie.

Moon Title Sequence Time line

Title Sequence - The Untouchables

From Art of The Title

The title sequence in "The Untouchables" is fairly unsophisticated compared to some other films, however the stylization complies with the crime genre, whilst innovating with more recent effects.
The title sequence is comprised of off-white serif type fading in and out in the lower half of the screen, with unrecognizable shadows traveling across the screen. The presentation of the title sequence is good, the typeface used is very relevant to the time period that the movie is set in.
A grain effect is also used in the title sequence, which makes the graphics appear less flat, and also provides an effect reminiscent of the movie technology available in the 1920s/30s time period.

Near the end of the sequence, the camera pulls back from the close up of the shadows, revealing the main title text. This text is similar to the credit text shown below, however is greatly contrasted as it is black, signifying to the audience that it is very important.

The large 3D text is pulled away from the camera, and fades into the soft brown background, and the sequence fades to black.

Whilst the title sequence for "The Untouchables" is not the most memorable, it certainly is appropriate for this genre of movie and prepares the audience for the style in the film to come.