What do directors seek to establish in the openings of thrillers?

My thriller cobweb illustrates the key aspects directors focus on in the opening of thriller films, such as Sin City, Layer Cake and Se7en. The most important things directors seek to establish are themes, character and sometimes location to give a sense of the tone and the character's morals.
however , establishing the plot and genre are only hinted at in the openings of thrillers, in order to create enigmas and keep the audience intrigued.





Se7en establishes the bleak city location and the fractured lives of the characters in the opening scene.

figure 1

Figure 1 is a shot of objects, neatly arranged. It establishes detective Somerset's character as the pen and gold police badge signify him as smart, professional and devoted to his work. This shot also hints at the theme because the knife establishes the theme of violence or danger, but doesn't give away the plot of the film.

figure 2

The director establishes the location well as figure 2 connotes the bleakness of the city as it is constantly raining and they are surrounded by bars on the buildings, establishing their entrapment in the location. This also emphasises the bleak atmosphere.

figure 3

The main aspect of the thriller that the director has established in the opening of Se7en is the characters for example in figure 2 detective somerset's character is established as lonely and disturbed by the events of his past as he falls asleep to the sound of a metronome ticking. Figure 2 establishes detective Mills' character as confident and seeking more power in society and work. The director uses props and mise en scene to establish the characters and their dark past or morals,
The objects also create an enigma foreshadowing what will happen in the film and establishing the bleak theme.








Layer Cake focuses on establishing the theme of the thriller in the opening sequence as the Mise en scene presents the theme of drugs and violence. It also establishes the characters as power greedy and smart.

figure 4

Figure 4 establishes the location and character as the lighting creates dark shadows signifying a dangerous location and the character's shadow connotes the evil within him. The bleak location also establishes the theme. Also the isolated surroundings establish the character as lonely.

figure 5

This shot from Layer Cake establishes the location as grand and luxurious which emphasises the characters' power and success. The shot was taken from a helicopter, which also connotes the rich location and establishes a theme of wealth.

Figure 6

The costumes shown in figure 6 establish the characters as smart and professional.
Establishing the plot and tone isn't prioritised in the opening of Layer Cake, the plot is only hinted at, so that it keeps the audiences attention.











The opening scene of Sin City establishes location and tone, however is the least of all the films to establish many of the aspects from the film, such as character and plot aren't shown in depth.

figure 7

In the beginning of Sin City the character and location are immediately established as the director uses Mise en scene in the red costume to connote her character as a femme fatale and lonely as there is a lot of space around her in the shot. Also the low angle shot of the city and the diegetic sounds of sirens and rain establish the location as dangerous and bleak.

figure 8

Figure 8 and 9 show that the opening scene establishes the theme of the film because the use of the gun connotes a theme of violence and enigma towards the plot. figure 9 connotes a theme of romance and establishes the relationship between the characters.
The tone is mysterious and bleak whereas the plot and genre aren't obvious in this opening.

figure 9

This research of what directors seek to establish in their opening of thriller films will influence how i use similar techniques in my own thriller opening to establish aspects of the film. I will focus on establishing the characters by using props and Mise en scene. To establish the location I could use bleak settings and tones, highlighting the entrapment of the location. I will avoid establishing the entire plot of the film in order to maintain the enigma of what will happen.

How does the director establish character in the pre-title sequence of Se7en?

How does the director establish character in the pre-title sequence of Se7en?

The director uses the setting, mise en scene and enigma to establish the characters in the pre-title sequence. 

 The film opens with the detective in his home. The room establishes his character because the objects connote his loneliness such as the chess- board, which also connotes his intelligence. Also there are animal ornaments on the shelves which implies that they belonged to his late wife which emphasises his loneliness. The camerawork creates no head space, the director deliberately does this to suggest he's stuck in this world that he wants to escape from, and the framing makes the shot claustrophobic. The use of quadrants brings focus on the props, as in the corner of the screen are the animal ornaments and at the bottom of the screen there is the chess board then the character is in the centre of the shot, this could be to connote all the aspects of his life and draw attention to his loneliness.

The detectives objects are neatly arrange and summarise the important things in his life. The gold police badge signifies his important status and professionalism. The knife connotes violence, suggesting he is involved in a dangerous lifestyle and it could foreshadow things to come. The pen shows he is smart and the rose suggests he is sentimental, and it creates an enigma as it could have belonged to his wife or be a reminder of her. 


This shot shows him removing a speck of dirt from his jacket, neatly laid out on the bed. This connotes his obsessive cleanliness and sense of order.







The director uses lighting to establish character. There is a shallow focus on the other detective in the background , him being out of focus brings the attention on detective Somerset, it also implies that the detective isn't as superior or significant in the plot of the film.

  The director introduces detective Mills . His character is established when he checks out a passing woman then he bumps into a man angrily and the second time a man moves passed him he moves out of the way. This connotes that he is overconfident of his status and sometimes arrogant. It could also suggest that the people aren't very nice or friendly there. 

 The setting is very bleak and the director uses diegetic sounds to emphasise this such as when it's constantly raining and the police sirens, which connote that the city is dangerous. This shot of the two characters is a low angle shot which makes it seem uncomfortable between them as there is a conflict of power between them. The setting also connotes imprisonment as there are bars on all the buildings emphasising the characters feeling of being trapped in this city. 

Detective Somerset sleeps with a metronome ticking next to him. The metronome creates an enigma as it gives a sense of curiosity into why he listens to it while he's sleeping. This gives an insight into the detective's character as it signifies time ticking away or his life running out, which could also suggest he is traumatised by the things he has seen in his job. 

 

From looking at the opening of Se7en I have taken ideas from it on how I can use this to help plan my own thriller opening. I would like to use similar techniques in the planning of my opening such as how the character is established through the use of props. Also I will think about the location, as in se7en the grim setting connotes the characters entrapment which I could take ideas from by looking at the metaphorical locations, such as bars on buildings or a tunnel, to connote the character wanting to escape.

 

How does Drive use quadrants as a composition and framing technique?

In the film Drive the director uses compositional techniques such as quadrants to create divisions and narratives for the characters. By referencing the 'Drive (2011)- The Quadrant System' video I have analysed the different shots from the film that use these compositional techniques.

In the beginning of this scene she starts in the centre of the screen, before the sides of the screen part in two...

Each side of the screen tells a different character's story. There are two features and our eyes keep switching between the left and right side of the screen.

In this scene the composition is also split into two quadrants and the dynamic of the frame is top and bottom..

The top quadrant is of a triangle of faces telling a story, which connotes their friendly relationship and the balance of power between them. The composition is full of vertical and horizontal line.

The bottom quadrant shows the characters hands which can signify a lot about the characters, on their own. Their hands tell a story about them, for example the two men on the left are holding rags and are covered in grease which connotes them as workers. In contrast the woman has her arms around the child which connotes her as a caring and protective mother. you can also see the child's face and because the child is shown in the lower quadrant this could suggest that the child is less superior or has less significance in the film compared to the other characters inn the frame.  

 The next scene starts with the character in the top- left of the frame, making us assume that the next shot will be of a character in the top right of the screen..

 But instead the director unconventionally places the character in the bottom- right quadrant of the screen, also creating lots of space around them. This connotes that they are lonely or confused.

This shot and the one below show that the two men are in the same quadrant and their eyes in the same spot on the screen, which connotes that they are fighting for the same position.. 

The character Irene is in the dead centre, out of focus which suggests she's not in control but is part of the scene, and could also suggest that she is what the other characters are fighting over.





This scene uses framing to tell a story from the character's behaviour, from both where we look and where we don't look.





this shot has a compositional balance- left and right.






This shot also uses compositional balance as the frame is in quadrants. This gives us things to notice in the top, bottom, left and right of the screen, making the shot more complex and interesting.

How does the sewer scene from The Third Man use framing and composition techniques, mise en scene and cinematography to create meanings and effects?

The sewer scene in The Third Man uses conventions from film noir and techniques of German expressionism to create an illusion of disorientation and the character's entrapment, which is representative of the experiences of WW2 and the feelings of paranoia. 

Figure 1

The shot in the sewers from The Third Man in figure 1 uses composition techniques such as off centre, out of the frame vanishing points to create a sense of confusion. The vanishing point shows the character running towards the light which is metaphorical for hope or possibly false hope as the character is trapped and there is no escape out of the tunnel, this can reflect the hope for escape during WW2 and the paranoia of being chased.
The director uses mise en scene as the location of figure 1 is very claustrophobic which also signifies that the character is trapped, this links to figure 2 as it is in a confined space and the high angle shot emphasises this.
The chiaroscuro lighting, created by the key light forms shadows which make intense shadows that connote a sense of danger in the sewers and uses the convention of film noir. The long shot shows the character in the distance in what appears to be a never-ending tunnel, this exaggerates how the character is isolated and alone as there is so much space surrounding him. The brightness of the light at the end of the sewer makes it impossible to see the end of the tunnel that the character is running towards, this connotes the uncertainty of where people are going and what will happen to them depending on the path they take. The bright light could foreshadow what will happen such as hope or a bleak ending for the character.

figure 2

This shot (figure2) uses composition using a high angle to give a sense of vertigo because it creates a feeling of the character falling into an empty space of evil and bleak immorality. This moral corruption reflects the confusion of people's morals after WW2. Also the chiaroscuro lighting and the location of the spiral staircase emphasises this as it is disorientating and the darkness of the shadows makes the character seem lost or could be metaphorical for the character hoping to escape from of the darkness. The director uses conventions from German expressionism because the staircase's geometric and angular lines connote a sense of of disorientation or entrapment. The shadow on the side of his face creates a contrast in the dark and light which reflects the temptation of evil from within. The bars on the staircase create a sense of imprisonment and claustrophobia and the way he is crouching down and looking up, emphasised by the high angle shot, in a small space is also very claustrophobic.

figure 3

Figure 3 is a more busy shot than the others and uses many film noir conventions such as chiaroscuro lighting because it crates a dark shadow on the wall from the character, this could connote the evil within the character and the how they're perceived as dark and dangerous. The setting is confusing because there are different platforms, which is metaphorical for the difference in each of the characters' power and that the police authorities are seen as more superior to the criminal character. 

Also the sewer location has a lot of tunnels and pathways which gives a sense of confusion and connotes the character being lost or trapped. Also it portrays a maze like atmosphere, as the character in the film is constantly running and hiding in different pathways, searching for an exit to escape the entrapment. This shot links to figure 1 as the intensity of the light in the tunnel in both shots connotes the hope for an end to the endless chase of the character, the director has used direction of the lighting to display this. Also the angles created by the sharp corners add to the disorientation and unsettling perspective of the scene. 


I will take key techniques and ideas from this clip from The Third Man and use them to inform the planning of my own thriller. For example i will use similar chiaroscuro lighting to create metaphorical meanings and portray the character's dark side or sense of moral corruption. Also i can take ideas from the way The Third Man uses quadrants to compose the characters in a claustrophobic situation, also in figure 3 it uses quadrants to split the screen to illustrate the different components in this shot such as the characters dark shadow and the different characters chasing him on the top of the screen, and then the tunnels on the side to create a sense of hope for freedom. I could use this in my own thriller to split the screen in order to show each characters' opposite stories and to establish the characters.









 

KamLucyBella preliminary task

PRELIMINARY TASK WRITE UP:

The preliminary task was to film and edit a conversation. This had to include a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting in a chair opposite the second character, then exchanging dialogue from a pre-prepared script. This was achieved as i used all of the required elements and used relevant filming rules and made the conversation look interesting, with a range of shots and continuity editing.

In preparation for shooting the task we first created a storyboard to illustrate the order of the different shots we would film, for example an over the shoulder shot of the characters in conversation and the time length of the shot. We also made a floor plan to plan the positioning of the cameras and the placing of the characters, from the route the character walks into the room to where both of the characters are sitting. The floor plan was used to ensure we didn't break the 180 degree rule, although this was achieved during shooting the walk, we did cross over the line in the conversation scenes as the camera was placed on the opposite side of the character to the line. But when we edited it we flipped the image so the characters are on the correct side of the 180 degree line.
The third part of the planning stage was to find a script to use for the dialogue. For this we chose to use a script from a conversation scene in House of Cards.
Additional planning could be used for short films such as character profiles and planning the props and locations.

During the filming I used a range of techniques for example the shot reverse shot which is commonly used to film conversations, we used it by switching the camera between the characters after each line to show that they're talking to one another. Also we used different camera angles such as low angle shots of the first character's feet as they walk into the room. This shot is a subtle first appearance of the person but can reveal their character.
We also filmed long shots and mid shots. The mid shots ensure there is head room and nose room; the purpose of the head room is to allow for space in the image so that the top of their head isn't cut off the screen.

This shot also uses the rule of thirds which signifies the characters' equal position in the film.
Overall there are 13 shots in our film. The changes in shots makes it more interesting for the viewer to watch and get a clear idea of the characters and the theme, for example the long shots can make the characters seem more isolated, and the close ups intense.
During the editorial process me and Kam were the main editors. We first saved all the camera shots onto the program and put them in order to create the whole film. Then we  used quick cuts to cut any unnecessary filming such as when there were loud noises in the background. Also we used this technique to cut into the middle of one of the shots (when they open the door and walk through it) so that we could place the second shot in between both of those parts.
Once the film was in order, with continuity editing, I added in a cross- dissolve to the end so that the ending fades into dark. To finish it off we altered the colour on the image so that it gives it a sense of chiaroscuro lighting. This creates a higher contrast, therefore more shadows and highlights.

The preliminary task was useful for preparing for the thriller project because i learned about using the camera and other filming equipment. I mostly learned about how to edit, through using the software and practising using the editing tools such as the colour effects and how to create quick cuts using the computer keyboard and then how to process and upload the film.
From the planning i learned what aspects of planning you need and how to create a floor plan which I can improve on next time so that we don't break the 180 degree rule from misplacing the camera. Also this helped me with working in a group as it showed us which roles we each suited for making the film.The task also helped with learning about the techniques and rules of filming such as head room and shot reverse shot which were important for filming the conversation. Also it allowed me to experiment with different camera angles such as low angles and close ups; This taught me how to establish a character, through a shot of them walking possibly from behind them or of their feet.
For the thriller project I will remember to avoid the mistake of crossing the 180 degree line and to check the sound quality of the location.

How do directors film a conversation..

How do directors film a conversation?There are specific rules and camera angles that directors use when filming a conversation. There are usually cameras placed with one focused on each character and one on both of the characters in a mid shot. They use the 180 degree rule where the director must face all of the cameras to one side of the characters and the imaginary line, to show where everything in the scene is. There's also the rule of thirds where the characters are placed along lines that divide the camera shot into thirds to signify their power or focus on their dialogue. Directors must consider head room which makes sure there is enough room on the screen for the character's head so that they don't get cut off the screen. Lead room/ nose room ensures that there is a space next to the character on the screen in the direction the character is facing or moving so that it gives a sense of distance to where the subject is facing, it also makes the shot less claustrophobic.Also directors use the shot reverse-shot rule where they film a shot of the character looking at something/ someone then a shot of the thing they're looking at, to create suspense and continuity editing which makes the editing between shots smooth.

Coffee and cigarettes: In this clip from Coffee and Cigarettes the director films a conversation using all the rules and tips such as the 180 degree rule because the camera angles don't cross the imaginary line and the shots stay on one side of the characters. Secondly they successfully use continuity editing for example when the camera angles change from a mid shot to a shot from above when they are pouring the coffee, their arm stays in the same position on the rule of thirds, this creates a smooth change between the shots. The director also ensures that there is head room and nose room on the screen to give an accurate picture to clearly show what going on. 

  

In the conversation scene from Pulp fiction the director uses similar filming techniques such as shot reverse- shot when the camera angles switch from one character to the other, this gives the awareness of the characters in conversation and their surroundings. Also the director: Quentin Tarantino uses a diverse range of shots including over the shoulder, mid shots and close ups. This keeps the conversation scene interesting. There is an intense atmosphere when there is an uncomfortable silence between the characters and during this the camera angle changes from a profile view of each character to a side view, this seems to isolate the characters. Finally the director uses the rule of thirds as both characters are on a line of thirds which signifies them as equals and that there is a balance of power between them.

Peaky Blinders

PEAKY BLINDERS- How does the director use camera angles and mise en scene to establish expectation and character? 

The colours used in the background are bright and signifies a fire which connotes the characters' danger and power, it also symbolises hellishness. This shot includes a bystander, whose working with flames in the background. This could connote the difference between the peaky blinders gang and the ordinary characters and how the gang can be seen as threatening and don't participate in working class roles. This is also emphasised as their costumes are clean and smart which shows they are powerful.This is a mid shot on the side, it brings them into the focus but still shows the bystanders in the background. 

The low angle shot emphasises the characters' power and status as it is looking up at them. Their costumes are all similar which signifies gang culture. It is also a mid shot which shows all of the group in it instead of focusing on one particular character, this could suggest they are all equals and have all formed an alliance. The setting is dull and simple to draw the attention to the characters, the street is also quite claustrophobic to make it more intense. 

The shot before this one was of the puddle when it was calm and still, so when they step through it it connotes peace being destroyed which reflects the character's danger. The shot is zoomed in on their boots, to show that their boots look brutal and formal, which signifies violence. there is light behind them, reflected in the puddle and dark colours in front of them, this suggests they are walking to the dark side which reflects their evil character, they are also blocking the light and light is symbolic for peace/ hope which reinforces the idea that they are destroying peace. Also the use of the puddle shows that the characters don't care or aren't affected by walking through the dirty water which could emphasise their power and that they aren't afraid of confrontation.

Media summer task

Opening scenes from films:  

How does the chiaroscuro lighting add to the connotations, meanings and themes in these clips?

The chiaroscuro lighting is seen in the films in the strong contrast between the light and dark colours. The strong dark colours connote violence and the difference in the scenes, as in casino royale the colours change from subtle into chiaroscuro lighting when there is an action scene which gives it a dramatic effect.
The chiaroscuro lighting is also used to highlight certain features in the film so that they are contrasting the set and stand out such as the people in Casino Royale, when the chiaroscuro lighting is used, the characters are a lot darker than the background which puts the emphasis on them. Also in LA confidential it is used to highlight the props such as the pile of cash or the cameras.
This is a key feature in noir films and is suitable for thriller films because it gives them a intense and lively atmosphere.

Introduction

Hi I'm Bella Nunn and this is my media blog