Analysis of Key Opening Sequences

The opening sequences of more contemporary films such as '28 Days Later' (2002)differ extremely from the more classical sequences such as that from, 'From Russia With Love' (1963). The sequences differ mainly because of the era they were produced in, as a film of 1963 is based on a completely different set of conventions to that of a contemporary film such as '28 Days Later'.

The two images above in themselves create a contrast in two films as they are filmed in contrasting lighting as '28 Days Later' has high key lighting to emphasise the facial expressions on the characters faces, this is compared to the low key lighting of 'From Russia With Love' which shows the way that the producers have explored two different sub-genres of thriller film. Furthermore the locations of the two are completely contrasting as well as '28 Days Later' uses the empty London streets to create tension in the opening sequence compared to 'From Russia With Love' as the director uses the grounds of the mansion to create an enigma as the audience is unsure as to what Bond and the antagonist are doing at this location.

The key prop of the money laying on the streets show the audience that there must have been chaotic scenes that have led up to this state. This is a direct comparison to the use of gunfire in 'From Russia With Love' as it builds up the danger and tension.

Also the difference in the characters appearance is directly distinct as Bond is characterised as looking traditionally suave from which the audience infers that the character is intelligent and sophisticated. This is the opposite for the character in '28 Days Later' who is dressed head to toe in anti-sceptic scrubs to add to the desperation of the sequence to find out as much as he can about the situation he finds himself in.

Also the sound of the two scenes is ambient as the muting of the action adds to the tension in the sequence before a score is layered over the end of the scene which adds to the suspense of the scene as well as increasing the tension of the opening. The thriller genre is also evident in the beginning of, 'From Russia With Love' as there are ambient sounds although the scene leads to the suspense.

From this the uses of continual long shots in the film, '28 Days Later' as well as the use of establishing shots give the audience a feeling of emptiness around which is normally a busy town. Although the use of medium shots in the film, 'From Russia With Love' add to the tension as they use these continuously to show the chase between the antagonist and what we believe to be the protagonist.

The narrative structure throughout restricts the audience to see as much as the character is seeing, which in itself leaves key enigmas such as; why is the hospital deserted? Why does the sequence start with the key protagonist in the hospital bed? Although the enigmas are also created throughout the opening sequence of, 'From Russia With Love' such as why is there a pursuit between the two men? Why is there an impersonator of Bond? And who are the the masked men?

The use of contrasting opening sequences show that the thriller genre has ben changed dramatically over the last 30-40 years from what was a technological step ahead of its time compared to what would now be seen as a contemporaray film setup. The use of red herrings and enigmas in the film 'From Russia With Love' add to the tension but the tension in the film, '28 Days Later' is setup by the use of enigmas as well as the use of long and wide shots which add more tension to the opening sequence that the director has ceated.

a case of revenge: synopsis

A CASE OF REVENGE: SYNOPSIS

 

Madeline, an angry ex-student, who was bullied and oppressed into isolation in her old school, seeks revenge on the teachers and students who forced her into her current mad state. The bomb that she leaves in the head teacher's office marks the beginning of her series of acts of revenge; the chase for the avenger begins as one by one, students and teachers begin to disappear... A 2010 production directed by Faro Myry.

This synopsis sums up the plot but does not reveal what happens in the end, which is fundamental in a synopsis, however it is suitable in terms of genre and sub genre as the idea of an "angry ex-student seeking revenge" already holds elements of a psychological thriller. This is due to the state of mind that the protagonist is in, and also, the fact that there are series of acts of revenge taking place, which results to deaths and disappearances, creates the idea of suspense and tension.  Also, with the audience that we are aiming for, this is suitable as it does not hold any suitable material for less than 15 year olds, however it does not necessarily mean that only 15 year olds will only be interested. 

Examples Of Cinematic Techniques in Thrillers

Dolly Zoom:

The dolly zoom is commonly used by filmmakers to represent the sensation of vertigo, a "falling-away-from-oneself feeling" or a feeling of unreality, or to suggest that a character is undergoing a realization that causes him or her to reassess everything he or she had previously believed. After Hitchcock popularized the effect (he used it again for a climactic revelation in Marnie), the technique was used by many other filmmakers, and eventually became regarded as a gimmick or cliché. This was especially true after director Steven Spielberg repopularized the effect in his highly regarded film Jaws, in a memorable shot of a dolly zoom into Police Chief Brody's (Roy Scheider) stunned reaction at the climax of a shark attack on a beach (after a suspenseful build-up).

Long Shot:

In photography, film and video, a long shot typically shows the entire object or human figure and is usually intended to place it in some relation to its surroundings. It is now common to refer to a long shot as a "wide shot" because it often requires the use of a wide-angle lens. When a long shot is used to set up a location and its participants in film and video, it is called an establishing shot.

A related notion is that of an extreme long shot. This can be taken from as much as a quarter of a mile away, and is generally used as a scene-setting, establishing shot. It normally shows an exterior, eg the outside of a building, or a landscape, and is often used to show scenes of thrilling action eg in a war film or disaster movie. There will be very little detail visible in the shot, as it is meant to give a general impression rather than specific information.

Fast Cutting:

Fast cutting is a film editing technique which refers to several consecutive shots of a brief duration (e.g. 3 seconds or less). It can be used to convey a lot of information very quickly, or to imply either energy or chaos. Fast cutting is also frequently used when shooting dialogue between two or more characters, changing the viewer's perspective to either focus on the reaction of another character's dialog, or to bring to attention the non-verbal actions of the speaking character. One famous example of fast cutting is the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's film Psycho (1960).

This famous shower scene from the film 'Psycho' can be found on YouTube at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VP5jEAP3K4

Conventions Of Thrillers

Thrillers often take place wholly or partly in exotic settings such as foreign cities, deserts, polar regions, or high seas. The heroes in most thrillers are frequently "hard men" accustomed to danger: law enforcement officers, spies, soldiers, seamen or aviators. However, they may also be ordinary citizens drawn into danger by accident. While such heroes have traditionally been men, women lead characters have become increasingly common; for an early example see Sigourney Weaver's character Ripley, in the movie ‘Alien', 1979.

Thrillers often overlap with mystery stories, but are distinguished by the structure of their plots. In a thriller, the hero must thwart the plans of an enemy, rather than uncover a crime that has already happened; while a murder mystery would be spoiled by a premature disclosure of the murderer's identity, in a thriller the identity of a murderer or other villain is typically known all along. Thrillers also occur on a much grander scale: the crimes that must be prevented are serial or mass murder, terrorism, assassination, or the overthrow of governments. Jeopardy and violent confrontations are standard plot elements. While a mystery climaxes when the mystery is solved, a thriller climaxes when the hero finally defeats the villain, saving his own life and often the lives of others.

In recent years, when thrillers have been increasingly influenced by horror or psychological-horror exposure in pop culture, an ominous or monstrous element has become common to heighten tension. The monster could be anything, even an inferior physical force made superior only by their intellect, a supernatural entity, aliens, serial killers, or even microbes or chemical agents.

Similar distinctions separate the thriller from other overlapping genres: adventure, spy, legal, war, and so on. Thrillers are defined not by their subject matter but by their approach to it. Many thrillers involve spies and espionage, but not all spy stories are thrillers. The spy novels of John le Carré, for example, explicitly and intentionally reject the conventions of the thriller. Conversely, many thrillers cross over to genres that traditionally have had few or no thriller elements. Alistair MacLean, Hammond Innes, and Brian Callison are best known for their thrillers, but are also accomplished writers of man-against-nature sea stories.

Synopsis of Relevant Thriller Films

Flightplan plot summary:

‘Flying at 40,000 feet in a cavernous, state-of-the-art 474 aircraft, Kyle Pratt (Jodie Foster) faces every mother’s worst nightmare when her six year-old daughter Julia vanishes without a trace mid-flight from Berlin to New York. Already emotionally devastated by the unexpected death of her husband, Kyle desperately struggles to prove her sanity to the disbelieving flight crew and passengers while facing the very real possibility that she may be losing her mind. While neither Captain Rich (Sean Bean), nor Air Marshal Gene Carson (Peter Sarsgaard) want to doubt the bereaved widow, all evidence indicates that her daughter was never on board, resulting in paranoia and doubt among the passengers and crew of the plane. Finding herself desperately alone, Kyle can only rely on her own wits to solve the mystery and save her daughter.

This is inspirational for our thriller sequence as it embodies the idea of both espionage and psychological thriller. The idea of it being based in an everyday setting also creates the idea that anything is possible, by losing the daughter on a plane creates the idea of a psychological problem within the protagonist as it is highly unlikely that someone could be in that situation.

Minority Report:

‘Based on a short story by the late Philip K. Dick, this science fiction-thriller reflects the writer's familiar preoccupation with themes of concealed identity and mind control. Tom Cruise stars as John Anderton, a Washington, D.C. detective in the year 2054. Anderton works for "Precrime," a special unit of the police department that arrests murderers before they have committed the actual crime. Precrime bases its work on the visions of three psychics or "precogs" whose prophecies of future events are never in error. When Anderton discovers that he has been identified as the future killer of a man he's never met, he is forced to become a fugitive from his own colleagues as he tries to uncover the mystery of the victim-to-be's identity. When he kidnaps Agatha (Samantha Morton), one of the precogs, he begins to formulate a theory about a possible frame-up from within his own department. Directed by Steven Spielberg, who hired a team of futurists to devise the film's numerous technologically advanced gadgets, Minority Report co-stars Colin Farrell, Max von Sydow, and Neal McDonough.’

This is an espionage thriller; unlike the horror-thrillers that scare and frighten people, this slowly builds to a climax of a conspiracy-based narrative. This embodies the idea of a political conspiracy, and raises questions about morality as well. The fact that it is based in the future however is difficult for my group to consider, nevertheless even though it is based in the future it does still have the features of the current world of today.

28 Days Later:

'A virus that locks those infected into a permanent state of killing rage, is accidentally released from a British research facility. Carried by animals and humans, the virus is impossible to contain, and spreads across the entire planet. Twenty-eight days later, a small group of survivors are trapped in London, caught in a desperate struggle to protect themselves from the infected. As they attempt to salvage a future from the apocalypse, they find that their most deadly enemy is not the virus, but other survivors.’

This synopsis is quite different to the ones above. It is very short and less detailed. This is to try and give as little information as possible to the audience about the film to make them actually watch the film to see what happens. Further more this is a horror-thriller and so the film is trying to scare and frighten the audience. Therefore the synopsis sets the tone for the movie.

Through consideration, I feel it may be more appropriate to do an espionage-thriller, given that we have limited equipment also. A psychological/espionage based thriller is also more interesting to watch as we may capture the attention of audience and develop red-herrings which throws great impact onto the audience.

Types of Audience that traditionally watch thriller movies

What Types of audience are traditionally associated with thrillers?

The types of audience that watch a thriller depend on the subgenre the thriller may entail. The audience that would watch an action thriller (e.g. The Bourne Ultimatum) is different to an audience that would watch a religious thriller (e.g. The Da Vinci Code) as the two movies have entirely different plots would appeal to different viewers. This can be seen as thrillers appeal to different people according to:

• Age

This can be seen in the movies, Silence of the Lambs and No Country for Old Men which are considered by many as the two best thrillers of recent decades. The target audience can be seen to be young people who would have enjoyed the suspense and tension compared to a more experienced man who would enjoy more psychological thrillers such as Psycho.

• Gender

The gender can be seen as important when selecting a specific audience. Thix can be seen especially through movies such as; The Sixth Sense, Signs and The Village which would attract a male audience compared to a more erotic thriller such as Fatal Attraction or Basic Instinct.

• Psychological Profiles 

Individualists can be seen as the ones who create a trend but drop it as it becomes mainstream, which can be analysed by directors as those who would watch all types of thriller, but, won’t want to watch a sequel of that movie. This is compared to more aspiring people who would want to watch the movies they believe are fashionable, from which the director is aiming at areas which have popular demand at the time. There are also mainstreamers who buy safe, which means they are more likely to watch a movie that feel is safe, probably a sequel to a previous movie.

Key Films in the History of the Thriller Genre

History of the Thriller Genre - Films

One of the earliest thrillers as Harold Lloyd’s ‘Safety Last’ (1923) with a daredevil stunt being performed on the side of a skyscraper, from which Fritz Lang gained inspiration and directed the chilling film ‘M’ (1931) which starred Peter Lorre as a serial child killer. This was closely followed by Edward Sutherland’s crime thriller, ‘Murders in the Zoo’ (1933) and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by director Rouben Mamoulian.

George Cukor developed the thriller genre with the movie ‘Gaslight’ in 1944, which featured a scheming husband played by Charles Boyer plotting to make his young and innocent wife to go insane, so he can gain her inheritance. This was closely followed by the film noir, ‘Laura’ later the same year that involved the murder of an advertising executive conducted by a female police detective who suspects an acid-tongued journalist. ‘The Third Man’ (1949) was one of the best thriller films of all time and told the story of a writer (Joseph Cotton) in post-WWII Vienna who found.

From 1950 onwards, Alfred Hitchcock was a main director in the thriller/suspense genre. A prime example of his fine work was in the movie Marnie (1964) where he interweaved the sexual theme into the movie as shown by the memories of the main character, Marnie. He also was in charge of the shocking thriller, ‘Psycho’ (1960) about a loner of a motel owner who fixated with his mother. He later directed the terrifying film, ‘The Birds’ which involves the trauma of Teppi Hedren after the invasion of foreign birds on a coastal N Carolina town.

John Frankenheier’s Black Sunday film in 1977 was also one of its time as it involved a terrorist plot line, as they use a Goodyear balloon to crash into the Super Bowl. This was closely followed by James Bridges' The China Syndrome in 1979 was a thrilling drama about a possible nuclear accident and cover-up near Los Angeles, with Jane Fonda as a television news reporter and Jack Lemmon as the nuclear power plant's whistle-blower, after discovering that the X-rays used to check key welds at the plant have been falsified.

Recently thrillers have used twisting plots and surprise endings to capture audiences, especially:

• Bryan Singer’s Usual Suspect involved Kevin Spacey as a club-footed conman with a mystery surrounding the Hungarian mobster Keyser Soze
• Also the movie ‘The Sixth Sense’ involves a twisting plot, as a young boy sees dead people, with this being a recurring theme as it also was involved in the movie, Signs of 2002, from which a farmer comes across crop circles on his farm.