Detailed Analysis of Thriller clip watched in class - Tyrone Gaskin

In our recent lesson we we shown four different sample thriller film openings to help us constuct our openning.

We were shown:

-The Shining
-Marathon Man
-Arlington Road
-Dead Calm
-Seven

But the thriller film openning I've decided to analyse is Dead Calm because when I saw it in class it had a suspenseful openning because of the moving typography which made me wnt to watch more.

Openning can be scene: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_ca00XMjIxMTQyNDA=.html

In the openning there is good use of high angle shots of the the officers comming off the train while at the same time diegetic sound of the train breaking and peoples footsteps is used effectively to show a tense scene build up and also the the realism at the station. There is slow paced editing used, and mise en scene of the officers uniforms are also shown. Furthermore the typography in the opening is very eye catching with big red fonts which cross over from left to right.

Technical audit of Bait Tutorial - Tyrone Gaskin

Above is a screen shot of an Apple video editing software called Final Cut which we used last lesson for practice for when we would want to edit our videos of our thriller openings. In the lesson we had to use the knowledge we knew already about camera, sound, editing and mise en scene and apply them for series of video and sound clips to join together effectively to create one whole scene, in this case we were mainly using non diegetic sound the match cut editing technique.

Detailed Analysis of Thriller clip analysed in class - Bradley Peppett

We were shown five different openings to Thrillers movies in our lesson. They were the following:




The Shining


Marathon Man


Arlington Road


Dead Calm


Seven





The opening I am going to look in depth to is 'Marathon Man'. Marathon Man is a movie that was created in 1976, starring actors such as Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Olivier. It is about a history student who is caught in the middle of an international conspiracy involving stolens diamonds, as exiled Nazi war criminal and a rogue government agent.


During the opening, we see a man who is jogging through the parks and streets. We also see a man with a large box who eventually opens it to put what is inside into his pocket. This seems parallel as they seem to be two completly different storys put into one. Through the editing it has made us wonder how these two storys come together and how are they related to each other, causing us to want to continue watching and find out.


Non-digetic music is played throughout the opening. When we see the man jogging, it is slowed paced and it seems to build up with more tension as he is jogging, adding more wierd noises and creating more suspense. When we switch to the man with the box, the non-digetic music changes to one which leads us to believe that something is up, it is not as slow as before. When we switch back to the man jogging, it is the same non-digetic music leading us again to build more tension. Once again it switches back to the man and the box, with the same type of non-digetic music that leads us to believe that he is up to no good. This is typical in a thriller, instantly seeing who is the good guy and hwo is the bad guy.



Mise en scene is used well. The jogger is dressed in a hoody and jogging bottoms with a cap. He also pulls out a timer/step counter looking at how well he is doing. This gives us the feeling that he is an average guy with no bad intentions. He is also jogging through parks and streets, just like a normal person would do, this creates a normal atmosphere around him. When we see the man with the box, he is well dressed. He looks to be in a secure room with locks and safes. This gives us the feeling that he is in an enviorment which he wants protected, this makes us think immediatly that he is up to no good.


Lots of different camera shots are used. For the jogger, we have tracking shots of his shadow and foot steps. As we get further into the movie we eventually move up to his chest, and then his face. This gives us a long introduction into who he is.

How suspense is used in Collateral - Tyrone Gaskin

Collateral is a crime thriller film staring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. It is directed by Michael Mann and written by Stuart Beattie. The film is set in Los Angles and the main story behind it is a taxi driver called Max (Jamie Foxx) having his everyday life changed when he meets a girl he grows close too. Meanwhile and a hitman called Vincent (Tom Cruise) gets into the taxi and commands him to help with his dirty work, only then to find out one of the targets is the girl who he then has to save.

The first scene which i found quite suspenseful was the scene where in one of Vincents hitman missions he tells Max to hide the body in the boot of his taxi, only then to be pulled over by the police who nearly takes a look into the boot but does'nt, by using camera shots to show facial emotions also builds tension and suspense.

The second scene which i found quite suspenseful was the scene where the girl Max likes is getting stalked by Vincent and he shuts off the power, Max races to save the girl and successfully does, by using tense non diegetic sound it creates a tense suspenseful scene.

The third and final scene which I thought was suspenseful was the scene where Max and the girl are being pursuited by Vincent who jumps on the train and later confronts the two with a gun, by again using camera shots to show vincents angry facial expressions also creates suspense.

Suspense scene can be seen at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b8hcdcMw9I

Techical audit of Bait Tutorial - Bradley Peppett

Today we had a tutorial on how to use Final Cut Pro. Final Cut Pro is a movie editing software developed by Apple in the early 2000's. We were given a task to create a story with the bait clips supplied. There were several clips and soundtracks given in order to do the task. We had to organise the clips into what looks like a real movie, we could add music/soundtracks, jump cuts etc. Anything we wanted.

Above is a screenshot of Final Cut Pro. The top left hand shows the video and audio available to use when creating your movie. Next to this is the video you have selected to use. Next to this is the your final piece you have mad. Underneath all this is the timeline which shows everything you have added to your final film.

This task was particularly helpful as it showed us the basics of Final Cut Pro and helped us gain experience with it towards are final task, the opening of a thriller.

What is a thriller? - Tyrone Gaskin

A thriller in the movie or film industry is a type of genre which consists of sub-genres. Films which can be classed as a thriller are films that have fast pacing, frequent action and villain driven plots whereby A hero is presented with obstacles he must overcome.

Thriller sub-genres: Action, Conspiracy, Crime, Disaster, Drama, Erotic, Legal, Medical, Political, Psychological, Spy, Techno and Religious.

Out of those several sub-genres, the one that inspires me the most is the crime thriller, because after watching Collateral I have seen how suspenseful and entertaining they are, and how I can apply a story and genre like that into my thriller openning project.

What is suspense? - Tyrone Gaskin

Suspense in watching movies and tv dramas etc is a mixture of feelings of uncertainty and anxiety on what is going to happen next in a scene. Furthermore suspense is generally built up if something bad is going to happen in which leaves audiences on the edge of their seats.

Detailed Analysis of Thriller clip analysed in class - Amy Nicole Fitzpatrick

In our lesson we were shown various openings to Thrillers movies such as:

• The Shining



• Marathon Man



• Arlington Road



• Dead Calm



• Seven

The thriller opening i decided to go more in depth about is Arlington Road. Movie Trailer :

http://http//www.dailymotion.com/video/x55y6x_arlington-road-1999_shortfilms

Arlington road is a 1999 film, tells the story of a professor who believes that his neighbours are terrorists, and becomes obsessed with trying to ruin their terrorism plot. In the opening clip to Arlington road, throughout the clip we can see shots of various houses and a road, a road, and a sign post which reads Arlington road. In terms or mise on scene, in the first 2 minutes we can see white picket fences, which are repeatedly shown, many houses, children playing on the street, swings and a dog, which would represent normality and present the image of a typical normal sub urban street, where nothing suspicious or not normal occurs, however in the film, this is found not to be the case by the professor.

The use of camera in the thriller clip is distorted, has allot of movement and appears to be filmed by a hand held camera. the effect of this is that it adds pace and makes the shot seem more realistic, whilst allowing the audience to feel like they are on the street in real life. Editing in this frame is also very fast pace and a negative effect is used, which speeds up tension and tempo in a thriller. the use of negative makes the film seem scary or worrying, giving off the message that something bad is going to happen on this street, creating suspense for the audience.

The sound is this clip is non dietetic. it sounds to be very eiry and daunting. train rails and trains can be heard and at the same time babies or children screaming and a child's whisper can be heard. this adds a traumatic effect and gives the audience the impression that a child may be in danger, also creating suspense to what the outcome or involvement children may have in this film.

When the film starts, there are opening titles of key actors, directors, producers and other people who made the film. The font looks hand written and is white and static, which move in side ways into the frame. this also helps to add movement to the scene.

Techical audit of Bait Tutorial - Amy Nicole Fitzpatrick

In todays lesson we recieved a tutorial on editing, and were given the task to devise a story from the Bait clips. There were several clips an sountracks, from which we had to edit into a story, using Final Cut Pro on The Apple Macs.


Final Cut Pro Example








Using Final cut pro, we had to organise our clips, cut and slice clips in order to create match cuts, jump cuts and so on. we could also add backing music to come on during a certain part of the film. The Screen on the left hand side shows a video from the clip you are watching. The screen on the right hand side shows the finished final film that had been edited in the lower pannel. The tutorial on final cut pro editing, whilst using the bait clips was usefull in the sence that when my group had to edit our 2 minute thriller opening, we will have greater knowledge on how to go about editing our film to create our final product.

Photo word activity - Tyrone Gaskin

The task we had to do on Thursday was to go out of class with A digital camera and take pictures of things and people, select two and say what it represents. My first picture I choose was the graffitied gangster which in my opinion represents the City, because in the suburbs of London it is common to see graffiti around especially around the council estates to mark a territory.

The second picture I have chose is a very symbolic picture wich represents Nature, because it shows a squirrel with a tree, plants and leaves around him, further representing part of a squirrels everyday life, and how interseting nature can be.

Photo Word Activity - Bradley Peppett

The task we were set was to take pictures that relate to a word on a sheet. We had to go out and find interesting things that relate to the word and take a still camera image of it. We then got to choose our favourite images that best relate to the word.

The first image you see represents happiness. The facial expressions and hand gesture shows this. Usually a thumbs up (hand gesture) means good and happy, which is what they are both doing.

The second picture represents concentration. This image represents concentration as it is a student who is revising and stuck into the books. He is blocking out other people by listning to music.

Photo Word Activity - Amy Nicole Fitzpatrick

Our Task for media today was to take a photograph with still cameras, after being given a list of words. we had to take up to 6 pictures that related to any of the words on this list. We then had to choose 2 or 3 of the images we photographed.


This Is the first image i chose, which represents the word Quick. i decided this would be a good image as using a bike is a quick and easy way of traveling around, compaired to public transport these days.

This is The Second image photographed, which is a builder bending over, to lay the pavement. This image is a representation of the word Future, as new buildings and construction take place, to change the way islington looks like in the future. The building work shows how change is occuring around us, even as we may not know it, which affects our future in the long run.

Definitions of Suspense - Bradley Peppett

Suspense is a movie or play that involves a very planned out and clever plot. Suspense movies always have an unpredictable ending and leave you on the edge of your seat. By having an unpredictable ending, it will make the viewer to want to watch more and leave them guessing. Suspense movies usually are not scary, but thrilling.

Whats Is A thriller? - Bradley Peppett

A thriller is a genre of film, books or television. A thriller is considered to be a suspenseful adventure story. There is usually a protagonist (hero) and an antagonist (Villain). A great example is above, James Bond is always trying to defeat the villain.



A thriller is also usually fast-paced, where you have to keep up with what is going on, this causes the viewer/reader to concentrate on it and it gets you hooked on it. All good thrillers also include many suspenseful scenes and cliff hangers. This is used in order to try and keep you on the edge of your seats.

There are lots of different types of thrillers, including:

- Action

- Conspiracy

- Crime

- Disaster

- Drama

- Erotic

- Legal

- Medical

- Political

- Psychological

- Spy

- Techno

- Religious

What thriller sub-genre inspires me the most?

The thriller sub-genre that has inspired me most would have to be an action thriller. Movies that I usually watch that are thrillers are usually actions such as James Bond. I like movies to have lots of action throughout in order to keep me entertained. I like to be entertained throughout the movie and not have a moment of lack of interest.

Definitions of Suspense - Amy Nicole Fitzpatrick

Suspense is a feeling of uncertanty or anxiety, which the audience feels towards the outcome to what just happend in a film. Suspence can leave the viewer on the edge of thier seat, and the more suspencefull a scene is, the more tension is created. Suspence scenes make the viewer want to continue watching a film as they want to know the outcome and effects.

What Is A Thriller - Amy Nicole Fitzpatrick

A Thriller is a genre of film, television or books. A Thriller can usually be indentified by its characteristics which include fast pace action, a protagonist (hero) and angtagonist (Villian). All good thrillers also include many suspencefull scenes and cliff hangers. The use of this is to keep you off the edge of your seat, makes the viewer wonder what will happen next and also heightens tension.



There are many different genre's when it comes to thrillers, although alot of people may asume that thrillers are horror films. Theses genres include:


- Action Thrillers
- Conspiracy Thriller
- Crime Thriller
- Disaster Thriller
- Drama Thriller
- Erotic Thriller
- Legal Thriller
- Medical Thriller
- Political Thriller
- Psychological Thriller
- Spy Thriller
- Techno-Thriller
- Religious Thriller

Collateral By Michael Mann - Amy Nicole Fitzpatrick

Collateral By Michael Mann
By Amy Nicole Fitzpatrick

Collateral is a crime thriller made in 2004 staring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. The Film was directed by Michael Mann and written by Stuart Beattie. Throughout the Film there were many suspenseful moments.

The First scene i found suspenseful was when Vincent and Max are both in the taxi cab driving, where they get pulled over by police. The police officers want Max to step out of the Taxi, meanwhile also wanting to search the vehicle. What makes this scene suspenseful is that there is a dead body in the boot in the car, from the first man who Vincent (the antagonist) just killed. This scene builds tension as the audience wait to see whether the police will find the dead body in the trunk. Lucky however, the officers get called to the crime scene, and Max is left to drive on.

Another example of a suspenseful scene is when Vincent walks into Annie's Room To Shoot her. Heightening music also helps to build tension and suspense in the scene, as the viewer doesn't know whether Vincent is going to find Annie and shoot her. Lucky however, Annie is not at her desk, and gets a way for a period. This Scene, and the Rest of The movie are the most suspenseful and eventful parts, as the audience is constantly on the edge of their seat, hoping

Max (Protagonist) and Annie get away before Vincent shoots them.

The Chase Scene on the train causes us to worry for Max and Annie, however when Vincent runs out of bullets, even more tension is created as we wait to see whether Max takes the opportunity to shoot Vincent.

This Film is a very good example of a thriller, as it features all key aspects a thriller needs, primarily suspense.

Link To Ending Suspencefull Scene In Collateral

Collateral By Michael Mann - Bradley Peppett

Collateral is a crime thriller movie starring actors such as Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. It was directed by Michael Mann and written by Stuart Beattie. The film was distributed by Dreamworks in North America and internationally by Paramount pictures. This movie is a great example of a thriller movie that leaves you on the edge of your seat.


The first scene that was suspenseful was when Vincent and Max were both in the taxi and are stopped by a Police Officer. The police officer is curious as to what has happened to the car, so asks both to step out of the car. The police man wants to search the car, but what makes this suspenseful is the fact there is a dead boy in the boot of the car, so if the police man searches the car, he might find it.


Another suspenseful scene is the scene in which Vincent is heading towards a building in order to kill Max's friend, Annie. Heightening music is played throughout this scene and helps add suspense to the scene and leaves you at the edge of your seat to see if Vincent kills Annie.

The final suspenseful scene we see is the last scene, where Vincent chases Max and Annie onto a train. Non-digetic fast paced music is used in order to make us feel as if we are caught up in the moment and being chased ourselves. This makes us want Max and Annie to escape the wrath of Vincent. When Vincent catches them, his gun runs out of ammo, which is unexpected for a hit man.