I
feel that our overall thriller opening creates tension, builds suspense and has
moments of shock, all due to the placement of the audience through camera
shots. Firstly, the use of a low angle shot through banisters whilst the antagonist
is crossing the hall positions the audience to feel vulnerable as the position
of the antagonist above the audience gives him authority and power. Secondly, a
high angle shot of the protagonist running down the stairs makes her appear
defenceless and weak, adding to the tension as the audience fear for her
well-being as she appears so helpless. This angle also positions the audience
as a voyeur, looking down and watching the protagonist, reflecting another of
Hitchcock’s techniques. As well, the use of an over the shoulder shot whilst
the antagonist is searching for the protagonist positions the audience as this
character, making them feel uncomfortable, a common Hitchcock technique in
building suspense. After this, an eye level shot of the protagonist hiding
under the bed places the audience in the risky position of the protagonist,
adding to the tension. An effective use of camera movement is when the camera
pans around the antagonist whilst they rotate on the spot in the opposing
direction, creating a distorting effect, which in turn confuses the audience
and builds on tension as the audience is positioned to be unsure of the events
occurring.
Mise
en scene has been carefully selected and used in order to create a well thought
out thriller opening which I believe effectively creates tension through
realism. The antagonist’s costume works well as the trench coat conceals the
majority of his body, suggesting him to be a shady suspicious character,
creating tension in the audience’s mind. The tears, blood stains and mud on the
protagonist’s dress show up well in shots of the protagonist, inviting the
audience to become intrigued as to what the protagonist has experienced. The
lighting in our thriller opening is very effective, especially through the use
of shadows. Whilst the protagonist is rocking in the opening scene a shadow is
cast behind her, suggesting a dark event is to occur and is looming close
behind. Again, when the protagonist has her back against the wall when hiding,
her shadow is cast behind, also suggesting a sinister event is nigh. When the
protagonist is hiding under the bed from the antagonist, only her face is lit,
this suggests that she is being engulfed and trapped within the darkness. All
of these pre-mentioned lighting features create suspense as the audience is
expecting something sinister to happen to the protagonist, and are therefore
left threating for her well-being. Also, lighting has been used to place shadows
on the ceiling above the antagonist which suggests that evil dominates him and
that he is subject to the power of darkness. This also builds on the tension as
the audience fear for what the antagonist will do under this influence of evil.
Another aspect of mise en scene which we focussed on was the make-up; it was
key to create bruises and cuts on our protagonist so to influence the audience
into sympathising for her as well as assuming her being captive for a long
period of time. I feel we portrayed this element of pain and wounds well as the
close-up of the cuts on the protagonist’s arms look realistic and shocking to
the audience. As well, the make-up on the antagonist was also important as the dark
circles under his eyes and defined jaw bone aged him further so to add to the
creepy paedophilic atmosphere. An aspect we used to refer to the techniques of
Hitchcock was with the props. The focus of the key throughout the film
suggested it to have importance yet actually the key was of little relevance to
the plot, a misleading factor much like in the Hitchcock film ‘Psycho’ with the
use of the money. Another prop used to match that of Hitchcock’s methods were
the photos of each of the members of our media group. This is as Hitchcock made
a cameo appearance in each of our films, so we did the same. Therefore I feel
our use of props help to introduce the Hitchcock theme successfully. The final
aspect of mise en scene we took into consideration was the setting. I believe
our choice of setting was well decided as the red walls in the running scenes induce
panic of danger in the audience’s mind.
We
attempted to incorporate each aspect of sounds found in the sound tree diagram:
sound FX, voiceover, ambience, soundtrack and dialogue. Firstly, we used many
sound FW such as doors opening and closing, heavy breathing, footsteps and a
camera shutter. I feel we used suitable sound FX at reasonable volumes so to
create realism and not be interpreted as too obvious or exaggerated. The voice
over we used also worked well, originally we had the speech end with “I killed
him” as an answer to the final question, however we rightfully cut this so to
build the tension further. The ambience sound used were birds during the final
scene, their cheerful bird song contrasts with the action therefore giving the
audience a false sense of security, thus creating shock when the events are
realised to be dark and sinister. In my opinion the most effective use of sound
is the soundtrack. The opening and closing soundtrack, oranges and lemons,
create a creepy atmosphere due to the slow tempo. Then by introducing an upbeat
and tense soundtrack during the highest tension moments adds to the suspense.
Finally, the dialogue, I feel, was effective as it remained short and didn’t
lead astray from the current events, adding to the tension. Overall the sound
works well combined and is constantly adding to the tension and suspense.
On
the other hand there are some aspects of our production which didn’t work so
well. Often the camera shots are shaky due to a lack of a tripod, although this
sometimes works to add confusion to the scene, the majority of the time it
would be more practical to have a still shot. This could easily be improved for
next time by the use of a tripod. As well, the lighting also affected our shots
negatively as without the use of filler lights the camera struggled to focus,
resulting in blurred images. Next time we would consider using two filler
lights as well as our key light so to ensure the shot is always focussed.
Another issue with individual shots the angle in which the opening scene is
shot. Due to facing the antagonist and protagonist the camera doesn’t see what
Anna stabs Mark Radcliff with, therefore this could be interpreted as her
merely hitting him which would not cause him to collapse. Next time we would
contemplate the camera shots in detail, perhaps adding a close-up of the protagonist
stabbing the antagonist so to ensure the audience is not confused by the
events. Another negative issue with the production is during the scene in which
Anna is hid under the bed. As the camera tracks the antagonist entering the
room, glimpses of my own belongings come into shot. This could easily be fixed
if we were to re-create our film once more by simply moving these objects. I feel
that they impact negatively as they remove the sense of isolation as they are
clearly a teenaged girls possessions, and therefore the realism of the film is
lost slightly.
I feel that our thriller has conformed to the typical codes and conventions of thrillers by including: a damsel in distress; tension and suspense; dark ominous shadows; quick cuts during the chase scene. However there are aspects of our thriller which successfully challenge some thriller conventions, such as how the audience is made to fear the protagonist and her insanity during the closing scene. This is effective as the audience feels they cannot sympathise or trust either character, causing the audience to feel isolated and scared.
Our project represents two social groups: vulnerable girls, and masculine men. The female protagonist wears a floaty, pink dress which represents youth, as well as having pale skin connoting innocence, both which portray her as a young, naive child. The male antagonist, on the other hand, has a dark defined bone facial bone structure, unshaven face, and a long baggy costume; these cumulate to form a mysterious rugged man, presenting him with a raw masculine authority. However, this stereotype of genders reverses when the female protagonist becomes the dominant character when she carries the shovel. This one prop allows us to convey power onto the protagonist, confusing the audience as to who they should sympathise for and who to fear.
I believe that Lionsgate would be the best production company for our thriller as they often produce horrors and thrillers such as 'American Psycho' and 'Saw'. As well their target audience is similar to that of our thriller, 15-25 year old males, and a secondary audience of females within this same age bracket- often the girlfriends of the primary audience. I feel our thriller addresses our audience by positioning them as the vulnerable protagonist using point of view shots; as well a tense chase sequence when he protagonist just escapes the antagonist.
From creating this thriller I have learnt how to properly operate a camera; to angle, pan, zoom and focus using various settings and techniques. As well I know understand how to use editing software such as Final Cut and Pinnacle Studios. I can now edit film clips by: cutting their length; overlaying sound and adjusting the volume of all sounds- including that picked up by the camera; incorporate title screens; change the size of films shots, and use effective transitions. Finally, I also learnt to use sound software such as Audacity and Garage Band. Audacity allowed us to record and edit sounds, using amplification, echoing and speed tools; whereas on Garage Band we were able to compile vaious pre-recorded sounds to create our soundtrack.
By gathering feedback from those who have viewed our thriller opening I am able to draw a conclusive impression of the film. The majority of those asked, the use of lighting creates a strong impact on the thriller by introducing the suggestion of evil lurking near. As well, the shot looking up at the male antagonist while he searches for the protagonist (who is currently hid under the bed) was the favourite of many of those questioned as the camera angle, make-up and lighting here creates a creepy atmosphere.
Compared to our preliminary task this final thriller opening is far better; we learnt not to break the 180 degree rule, as well as which camera angles worked and those which were too extreme. To conclude I am very proud and pleased with our final thriller opening as we successfully included all aspect of mise en scene, a multitude of camera angles as well as movements, various sounds, and an effective through narrative. All of which compile to create the building of tension and moments of shock. Though there are mistakes and improvements possible to be made I feel our production was to our highest standard with numerous hours spent planning, filming and editing to ensure just so.
By Elli Smart
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