ANALYSIS TASKS

TASK 1: Thriller Posters

TAKEN

 

This poster is a mid- shot in which it presents a mysterious tall man as the centre of attention of the poster. It shows a side view of him with a shadow, keeping his face and true identity as unknown. This relates much to the film as the main character is continuously on the hunt to find his daughter. He does this stealthily so therefore the poster represents that segment of the film, giving the audience an insight of what the film is about. The quote used is very direct and threatening as “I”, “you” and the “I will kill you” which draws the audience in leaving them with questions with whom these two characters are and also an insight into the fact that they’re going to clash. The colour scheme of black, grey and white gives an almost sinister feel to the poster and represents the film as having a dark and suspicious feel. This also foreshadows a lot of the death later seen in the film. The red text stands out in the poster to draw the audience into the big name actor of “Liam Neeson” and the title of “taken”. Due to red being a colour known for representing danger. Therefore this will stay in the audience’s minds even if they don’t remember the rest of the poster. The pistol in his hand is being reflected in the light allowing it to stand out more showing the audience that it is a violent film. Furthermore by placing it next to the I will kill you enforces the idea that it’s serious and he will genuinely kill him, leaving the audience in suspense. The character being shown in a suit shows that he is serious and a professional, allowing the audience to decipher that he is of an upper class and he’s looking very professional. This poster is a typical thriller poster leaving the audience in suspense of what’s happening however I would have guessed that this may have been more of a drama film due to the dramatic wording across the poster.

INCEPTION

This poster is a long shot with a man in the centre of the poster with his knees down in water. This shows the actor from behind with his head slightly turned. This make his character seem more mysterious, intriguing the audience. The man is also holding a gun in this right hand, giving the audience a hint that there will be violence involved, this will excite and encourage the fans of violent films of the action/ thriller genre. Onto the background, he is standing in a big city with buildings towering over hi shows how he is so powerless in the world, however the fact that he is surviving on the water contradicts the ideas he is powerless, leaving the audience left in wonder. Furthermore the image is very dark involving blues and blacks into the poster. This idea follows conventions of thrillers as low- key lighting is commonly used within the film so this continues this idea. The film title is in red text which means it totally contrasts and stands out from the background image. Synergy has been used as the font type is the same as that used for the title in the trailer, allowing the user to subconsciously recognise the poster without previously seeing it. The name of a famous actor at the top of the poster draws attention of the viewer as they will be intrigued if they like this actor, furthermore if it’s a big name actor, more people are likely to watch it as he wouldn’t be doing a film he believed to be bad. Also the white text allows it to stand out more from the darker background and the name being on its own, informing us that he is the lead role in the film. The tag line of “Your mind is the scene of your crime”. This slogan for the film and features on all the posters. It is catchy and memorable so the audience will subconsciously recognise the tag line from all the other posters. By using the personal pronoun “your” adds a direct address to the audience leaving a personal feel and involvement of the audience. The character is wearing a suit, showing his assertion of power and shows his authority as is stance is very serious. This is a typical thriller poster as shown with the presence of a gun and mysterious feel to it.

THE DARK KNIGHT

This poster is a mid-shot of this character who is alone on the poster. This represents how alone the joker is and how he doesn’t fit into society as there isn’t anyone around him. Also there is a city image in the background which was used to show how he believes he is above the city’s laws and people, as shown in the film. Furthermore the misty glass makes the poster and character seem very cryptic. This puts forward the idea that the film is full of mystery and hidden truths. Also the almost heavenly light behind the man would suggest that he is almost a ghost, this is later partly true as he was hard to catch and kept slipping away from being caught. The words written in a red blood colour foreshadows the violent nature to the film. The question is a common used phrase throughout the film which is very chilling, especially coming from a clown which are normally known as fun and funky people. The smile drawn across the glass is very bitter-sweet, the symbol should represent happiness however but it’s drew in blood which represents pain and death. This is demonstrating how the character is very twisted. The gloves worn by the figure connotes the idea that he is going to commit a crime as we commonly draw a link to gloves as being murderers. Also as the finger is clearly covered in blood to suggest he has blood on his hands, confirming how this man is a criminal with a murderous past. You may argue that this poster looks more for a horror poster rather than thriller due to the dark and mysterious nature of the poster. This was done to draw in a wider audience of possible horror fans.

TASK 2: Thriller Opening Sequence

THE DARK KNIGHT

This scene begins as we watch a window being shot out by a man in a clown’s mask, these clown masks which are meant to be trivial are used to intimidate instead, one mask was held in the hand of a man giving the audience a hint that this one of the main characters. The idea that these men are up to no good is reinforced by the fact that when sliding across the zip line they are wearing tracksuit bottoms, which are commonly related to trouble as they’re worn by troublesome teenagers. Along with the mask he is holding a large duffel bag, another common item for robbers, allowing the audience to build a picture for what’s to come. There is also a strong stereotype around men and women. This is shown as the woman in the bank places her hands up and shouts “No!” showing the stereotypical weakness in women compared to the man in the bank who attempts to fight back. This shows the difference between men and women within the film. As the man finishes up his role he is shot, this gives the audience an insight into the brutality of these bank robbers who have no loyalty to anyone, not even each other, as they continue to execute each other as the job is being completed. The idea that they are brutal is also by the fact that they placed grenades in the hostage’s hands, leaving the audience to know that the hostages will have to let go and some point leading to their inevitable death. The use of cutting between these parallel stories of the groups of robbers, the ones on the bank floor and the ones cracking the safe, allows the audience to see how well planned this robbery was. This shows how these men are professional which gives a hint that the storyline may be about them, as it turned out to be about the joker. These was often low angle shots and close ups to show how prominent the joker character is, he also attained more screen time than the other bank robbers. He also doesn’t say much compared to the rest, this gives the audience a sense of mystery and also the idea that he doesn’t have many social skills due to a lack of interaction. Furthermore, the use of intense music allows the story to flow whilst also having an intense build up. This is also of fast paced which accompanies of the rush of the robbers. This music builds up to when the joker eventually takes his mask off. Then the music dropped and near enough stops until he is in the truck out of scene. 

This image shows the focus of the jokers face compared to the other man 

INCEPTION

This scene begins with hyperbolic sound of the waves crashing into the rocks, establishing the beach scene, we then see a man in which we have a point of view shot from him watching children which would seem feasible at first but then he is met by a military group, this would suggest to the audience that the children playing weren’t actually there. This gives an insight to how complex the whole film is. Then the shot from behind the bald man builds tension that he is a powerful figure as he informed his boss that the man “asked for you personally” this gives the audience a sense that this bald man holds a high amount of authority if he has bodyguards and must be a high up individual if he was asked to talk to. Leonardo Di Caprio is then seen eating from a bowl, he is shovelling his food in which would suggest how he is desperate for anything he can get, revealing his lack of power. The deep dark music added shows the tension and matches the dark lighting. The scene then jumps to clearly a scene from the past of the pair. This shows a contrast as before thee cut he was vulnerable and was in no position of power. Whereas after the cut he was making proposals and was in a suit compared to his ragged shirt before. The time on the clock then goes backwards allowing the audience to see yet another cut backwards, this is now showing him even further back where explosions are going off outside but the men are sitting there unfazed. This is now very confusing for the audience as we struggle to keep up with what is going on due to 3 scenes within the first 4 minutes leaving no establishing scene.

This shot builds tension around the unknown bald man 

CASINO ROYALE

This scene begins with an establishing shot of the large building in which the whole scene takes place, a man then steps out of the car where we see him at a canted angle. We then follow the man on his journey through the building. We then see panic on his face as there is an irregularity within his office, this is shown to the viewer as the reaction shot of his facial expression. Bond breaks into this man’s office and Bond later breaks into his Boss’ office later in the film. The whole clip of Bond and the double agent is set in black and white, this is extremely effective as a Two Shot shows us both of the figures faces and everything else in the dark. Tension is built as Bond begins to question the other man. Bond is clearly holding the power however the other man isn’t flinching, attempting to retain his power within the scene. they then skip to a cut where the location is well established overlooking a cricket game. Bond is standing in a suit showing how he is there for business compared to the other men all in casual clothing. As bond is spotted his target is seen to panic as seen in the reaction shot, the man runs as Bond takes chase. We then see parallel editing between the cricket game and the chase between the two. We see a clear power difference between the characters as bond takes pursuit by walking and following the man, a much more composed approach. Whereas the other man is scrambling upstairs as fast as he can. The man then picks up the gun and continues running until he gets into the toilet. This shows how the man should have more power than Bond however he is soon just as equal as the unarmed Bond. The music becomes faster for this scene during the chase and fight. It then jumps back to the man in the office as he is clearly threatened by Bonds presence. He pulls a gun and attempts to shoot bond until he realises he has no bullets in his gun. This gives the audience a sense of relief as the protagonist is still alive after the close call. It is then skipped back to the fight where Bond pushes the man into the sink and breaking it, this shows Bonds ability of force and domination in the fight. Bond goes on to strangle this man, showing no mercy allows the audience to see that he was not to bring him in for questioning but a pure assassination. We see the reaction shot of Bond as he shows no emotion after ending this man’s life, giving the audience an insight into how much he kills people and is used to it. Bond also shoots the strangled man in which the clever editing jumps into the title sequence. The theme tune is played along with the traditional spiral with blood running down the middle. This is one of the most recognisable James Bond moments as it happens at the beginning of each film this is significant as it introduces the audience to the new Bond, Daniel Craig.

This shows the calmness of Bond compared to the antagonist

TASK 3: Thriller Scenes

SINGLE WHITE FEMALE

• Name: Single White Female
• Director: Barbet Schroeder
• Production Company: Colombia Pictures
• Release date: 1992
• Country made: United States

Box office returns: $48 million

Audience: “I saw this movie in theatre in 1992 and remember it being very entertaining- 8/10” aimed at younger adults fans of a more dramatic and less action packed thriller.

How has the director used claustrophobic spaces to create a sense of menace?

This starts off first of all when the two women and the man are fighting in the corridor. This shows the entrapment of the characters how they have no way of getting out of there. Also it allows the audience to sympathise with the woman attempting to run away from her attacker as she wants to get away from this horror but cant. This idea continues as the woman literally has nowhere to go once they’re in the elevator. However the elevator is moving downwards showing how the women are getting closer to the ending of the fight and scene as they’re getting closer to the door to leave the entrapment of the house. However this is not the eventuality as the woman is strangled in the lift. The claustrophobic space then allows to see the connection between the women as they are the focus of the scene in the elevator.

This shows the entrapment of the characters.

MISERY

• Name: misery
• Director: Rob Reiner
• Production Company: Colombia Pictures
• Release date: 1990
• Country made: UNITED STATES
• Box office returns: $61 million

Audience: “When a fan crosses the line between admirations into obsession- 10/10” aimed at adults between the ages of 25-40 who are fans of horror.

How is the antagonist and/ or protagonist represented in the scene?

This shows the protagonist as helpless which as an audience we don’t like as we sympathise with him. However we also know as an audience that he has no way out of the situation due to being tied up. He is shown tied up and under an attempted control of the antagonist who is strongly against the idea of the man from going anywhere. This shows the antagonists craving for control over him, as he breaks his ankles so he can’t run. This makes the audience feel angry at the antagonist as she is doing something against the poor protagonist which he cannot prevent. The antagonist is represented as evil and clearly has something wrong in her head to keep this man under house arrest. The protagonist however is used to allow the audience to relate to him as he is of sound mind.

This supports the controlling nature of the antagonist

 

SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

• Name: silence of the lambs
• Director: Jonathan Demme
• Production Company: Orion Pictures
• Release date: 1991
• Country made: UNITED STATES
• Box office returns: $272 million

Audience: “”The Godfather” of all thrillers- 10/10” 20+ year olds who are fans of the more typical action filled thriller with a great storyline.

How are women represented in the scene? Consider stereotypical representations of the thriller genre such as the femme fatale and the victim.

Women are presented as to be below men as he constantly talks down to her in a patronising way throughout the conversation. This is very controversial as he is behind bars and she is a detective. This shows how he constantly has more power over her even when he is behind bars. This is shown as when they are talking he is in the light whereas she is in the shadows showing how she is less than him. Another example is how he is standing his ground by sitting in a certain position throughout the clip, compared to her uneasy and fidgeted stance as she wanders around the room without any objective. Furthermore as he is sat behind the bars he is in much more control than her as she asks him questions and he firmly responds with a strong no. this shows the stereotypical male dominance even in the most controversial circumstances.

This shows the prisoner being presented in a positive light.