Camera shots/angles

Extreme Close-up

Honing in on objects of particular interest, sometimes in grisly detail, "Extreme Close-up" shots often fill the view of the screen, making it impossible for the viewer to focus on anything else.

Close-up

The "close-up" shot is often used in films, and in other media, to ensure that the viewer meets the emotions and facial expressions conveyed by the actor in the frame. Facial expressions and eye contact is said to be the primary method of communication in humans, even when speaking
to one another.

It's no wonder that this is an effective method of drawing emphasis onto an actors emotions and thereby the character's standing in the narrative of any film.

Mid-Shot

"Mid-shots" are often used when establishing a characters figure/posture and/or clothing. Generally, the frame consists of half of a character's body and/or of two or more characters.

Long-Shot

"Long-Shots" will often give a greater indication of the environment the characters within the frame are in. "Long-Shots" are second only to "Extreme Long-Shots" in their establishment of a scene's setting, while provide the greatest balance of visual detail  with overall mise en scene.

Extreme Long-Shot

"Extreme Long-Shots" offer the greatest view of the surroundings of the characters within the frame. Often these are used as establishing shots, where the backdrop setting for the film gives an indication of where, geographically, the following scenes will take place.

Panning Shot

"Panning shots" allow for a setting to be realized, often where a long shot does not have a sufficient field of view. Panning shots can range in their field of view, from the close-up shot of items strewn about a room, to an entire cityscape. Panning in  mid, to close-up shots are often used as  a means of teasing narrative or detail out of a scene, slowly revealing more about a character or the nature of a setting.

Crane Shot

"Crane Shots" place the viewer in a position high above the immediate surroundings of the character/s within the frame. In this video, as an example, the crane shot draws emphasis upon the character's feeling of isolation, and the town's eerie quietness.

Establishing shot

"Establishing shots" consist primarily of long-shots with the addition of panning, crane shots.

High-Angle shot

"High-angle" shots are used to place a character or object in a position weakness or recline. In this image, Luke is made to seem small, in comparison to Vader.

Low angle shot

"Low-angle" shots place a character or object within the scene in a position of power. In this example, Vader is made to seem more imposing and intimidating.

Dolly zoom

"Dolly Zooms" are used to throw, what seemed initially immediate, to great distances while revealing more about the foreground of the scene. 

Analysis of "Dexter" opening sequence

What is "Dexter"?

The popular American TV series "Dexter" was a serial drama airing 84 times across 8 series. It's main protagonist was Dexter Morgan, a blood splatter analyst, with murderous tendencies. What preserves his role as a protagonist, I might add, was the selection of his victims, being criminals who have escaped justice. The series was set in Miami.

The following is an analysis of the opening credits, shown in the beginning of each episode of "Dexter". 

Waking up, Dexter notices a mosquito on his arm, and promptly swats the insect with his hand.  His nonchalance seems disturbing, in a sense, as the way in which he dispatches of the mosquito is quite aggressive. The scene then cuts and returns to him reviewing his reflection in the mirror of his bathroom. With the positioning of the camera, we can see two obscure images of Dexter; one of his shoulders and the back of his head, and the other his reflection staring back. This subtly refers to a duel personality within Dexter, as the mirror image can reflect an alternate version of himself and/or an internal conflict within his mind.

The scene goes on to show an extreme close up of Dexter’s skin as he applies shaving gel.





At first glance, the viewer may be confused as to which area of his body the camera has zoomed in on, creating a sense of unease. Cutting himself while shaving, a considerable amount camera focus is present on the droplet of blood rolling down his neck, indicating a subtle and underlying theme of blood that may be present in the drama. This, coupled with the extreme close up shot of Dexter holding a shaving blade to his throat, has strong connotations of murder and pays homage to the character of "Sweeney Todd".


Moving into the Kitchen, one of the first and most noticeable props used in the scene is a slab of meat. The meat itself is pink in colour and, when viewed briefly with a close-up camera shot, it is unclear what or who this meat used to belong to. In a sense, and at first glance, the meat when cut looks very much like human skin, repulsing some viewers instantly yet drawing them in once again when it becomes clear that it is being cooked for breakfast; the hope being that this breakfast is not a cannibals choice of morning cuisine, remaining a mystery throughout the opening sequence.

The lighting throughout the previous and following scenes can be described as meticulously managed; areas surrounding entrances for light rays are awash with darker colours such as greys and deep browns and dirty tan.  A dark red background is also used when Dexter begins to cut and prepare a blood orange, which in itself is an unusual fruit yet highly appropriate for the increasingly apparent theme of cutting through skin and blood. Overall, the close proximity of darker colours against lighter shades helps in creating and strengthening the intense contrast of these colours, with light rays on appearance cutting through darker areas.

After finishing his morning breakfast, and rather ominously so, he heads back into the bathroom to floss his teeth.

Analysis of "Se7en" opening sequence

The film "Seven", sometimes referred to as "Se7en" was released in 1995, showing first in America.

 Written by Andrew Kevin Walker and directed by David Fincher, "Se7en" takes the form of a psychological thriller, with elements of "who dunnit?" and gruesome scenes of violence and death. Its plot hinges on the key religious concept of there being seven deadly sins; Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Envy, Wrath, Pride, Lust. One by one, the two protagonists, Detective Mills (Brad Pitt) and Detective Somerset (Morgan Freeman), are forced to unravel these sins when confronted by a growing number of gruesome murders. Time is of the essence; the killer promises to kill again, turning each lesson of the seven deadly sins into a physical blood bath.

This post is an analysis of 'Se7en's' opening sequence.

 In the first scene we see the obscure image of someone flicking through a book. The overall lighting, being of a sickly yellow, immediately suggests that something is amiss; this variant of yellow can most commonly be associated as the colour of illness, and by that, death, plague and disease. The soft yet deep contrast of the lighter yellow against the shadows casted by the book suggest that the book in question may have a more menacing side, while its wrinkled edges are indicative of age, or that its owner reads this book often. The outer edges of the scene are blurred; this kind of editing masks the identity of the book's reader and hinders the viewer's understanding of the greater setting of the scene. This has been put deliberately in place to create an air of mystery that will continue to circulate the character.

After a cut-to-black transition (an effect that only adds to the increasingly apparent theme of a harsh and gritty underworld) the image of two disfigured hands sits below the high angle shot of what the viewer can only assume to be a workshop desk.  

Though the pale blue lighting of this scene differs to the previous scene's yellow, it is clear that the two locations are linked; the shadows in the room remain of great contrast to the light that seemingly ekes in. 

The image itself is quite disturbing; the viewer may wonder what the owner of this picture could possibly need with such an image, being not a doctor or a man/woman of any legal medical practice (as is clear with the lack of cleanliness in the setting). Further more, the image's location atop a grid surface suggests that the character is measuring these hands and that could further suggest that he/she is meticulous in their approach, whatever their approach may be. Overall, this scene deepens the mystery of the setting and the true nature and intentions of the blurred character we see in the first clip of the montage.

The text appearing at the top right of the screen Is distorted and varies with the names of the film's developers. Its scrawly appearance enables the viewer to believe that it exists as a part of the scene, as later we are shown images of the blurred character's handwriting. The text's font builds on the feeling of this entire sequence being a grungy, gritty world where a research driven and borderline obsessive is planning something sinister. 

What follows is a close-up shot of the original character's fingers, as he (most likely a male) shaves the skin off of them:

The diegetic sound of an electric razor adds to the repulsiveness of the scene; we can see, in grizzly detail, flakes of skin fall from his fingertips, all while the sound of the razor gnaws at the viewers ears. 

This scene succeeds in establishing the character in question as odd, very odd, worryingly odd in fact; the build up of micro elements conveying this character's true nature lean increasingly toward someone who's obsessive, reclusive, driven and self harming. It is becoming increasingly apparent that this character may be the killer/main antagonist of the film, though his identity remains a mystery.

Thrillers and their sub-genres + Research into Hitchcock + codes and conventions

What is a "Thriller"?

A thriller is a film whose content, narrative and characters all feature and orbit around a narrative driven by some form of mystery. The mystery in question will almost always be related to some form of crime. An example, the movie "Hannibal".

Thriller films specialize in the build-up of suspense and tension, and this over the years, from Hitchcock's first exploration of the genre, has come to characterize them. Often little pieces of the greater mystery will fall into place throughout the film's length, increasing the viewers interest in the thriller and escalating the stakes of solving the mystery as a result. Commonly, as more is solved, the antagonist presses the protagonist harder in an attempt to resist justice.

The sub-genres of the thriller genre include:

Psychological thrillers- The most common kind of thriller, an example of a psychological thriller would be Hitchcock's "Vertigo". This category emphasises the internal struggle of the characters within the thriller, where the psyche of each character is explored in greater detail.

Political thriller- "Power corrupts" as they say. Political thrillers often feature a narrative in which some form of political scandal takes place.

Paranoia thriller- Playing on the fears of the thriller's target audience, paranoia thrillers contain a narrative that would be, either consciously or subconsciously, accepted and related to by its audience. An excellent example would be the original "The invasion of the Body Snatchers":



The film played on the currently circulating fear of an imminent soviet invasion of america during the post-war 1950's. The american populace was anticipating russian spies and agents to be everywhere, silently replacing the key members of american society. As you can see, the film's title takes stock of that concept and adapts its narrative into something a little more... far-fetched, yet nevertheless, relevant to a paranoid society.

Alfred Hitchcock

Sir Alfred Hitchcock, born 13th August 1899, was an English film director and producer. His name lives on as "The founding Father" of the thriller genre, pioneering a range of techniques in creating movie suspense and drama. Having had a successful career in England, he moved America, becoming an American citizen in 1955. It was there, that Hitchcock made a name for himself, setting an example for directors around the world with regards to camera shots and editing techniques. Famously, Hitchcock is said to be the creator of the 'point of view shot', used by many directors today.

His films are renown for their frequent narrative of crime, and their expansion into worlds of scandal, violence, murder and action. His films frequently made use of thrilling plot twists and, now called, "MacGuffins" that tested the characters within the film and the audience. His ability to keep a viewer on the edge of their seat was legendary, with his skill in film directing being labeled as "Britain's best" by the daily telegraph in a 2007 poll. Many consider his effect on modern cinema to be unquestionably profound.

He had lead an incredibly successful career, changing the world, to some degree. He passed in 1980.

The codes and conventions of the thriller genre

Modern thrillers, for the most part, are films inspired and created with a mix of conventions in mind, all gathered from previous thrillers that may have been watched by its directors and developers. Widely considered the 'Founding Father' of the psychological thriller genre, Alfred Hitchcock's films share parallels with the majority of thrillers we see today. It is because of Hitchcock that audiences, after watching many of his thrillers over the years, and thrillers inspired by his works, have come to expect a certain style of film containing these elements, leading to the acknowledgement of there being widely accepted 'conventions' for the thriller genre. 

Modern thrillers do well to abide by these conventions as viewers have expectations of how the narrative of a thriller and its characters are portrayed; anything that disregards this idea or moves in opposition can sometimes be ill-received. This is why a number thriller directors, when trying to create an ending or twist, often film multiple scenarios and have them critiqued and conduct voting pols with a selected audience before the actual release of the film to see which scenario should appear in the final cut.

• The main title should, in some way, relate to the narrative of the film- The main title of a thriller can often give an indication of the film's sub-genre and narrative. For example, "The Illusionist" suggests that some form trickery takes place in the film (thus solidifying its place in the thriller genre) and potentially involves someone who's a magician and has stage presence. From this we can gather that the film may not be a sci-fi and possibly not set in modern day society; Illusionists and magicians were a very popular method of entertainment in theaters across Britain during the 19th-20th century. Another example, the film "Inception". Its title directly refers to the method of psychological persuasion the group of men use to profit their employers and therefor themselves.

• A crime centered narrative- In almost all thrillers, some form of crime has been committed, forming the basis of the plot. An example; "Unbreakable" see's its main protagonist find those responsible for causing pain and suffering to others and punishes them, before discovering that an even grater crime has been committed by a person close to him; this crime in particular haunting the protagonist from the beginning of the film.

• Complexity, false paths, clues, Resolution- The thriller genre is a genre that promotes thought; narratives with a complex web of interconnected characters and subplots stimulate the viewer's imagination and therefore their emotional investment into the film. False paths serve as a reset of the viewers tension while clues build suspense and reveal parts of a hidden plot line. Ultimately, resolution is achieved when all the clues have been found and false paths stumbled upon.

• A Twist- "Twists" are an effective way of both surprising and captivating the viewer. Because of the structure thrillers possess, being that the narrative will be Equilibrium, disequilibrium, realisation, repair and re-established equilibrium, the viewer knows what to expect in terms of the general direction of the film. A surprise twist however, is the best way to break the monotony of a plotline that would otherwise be predictable.

• The extraordinary amid the ordinary- The narrative usually takes place in a location or among characters that the viewer would find to be ordinary. This makes the thriller more relatable and therefor more believable when the extraordinary occurs. 

• Enigmas- Often, throughout thriller films, more and more enigmas and riddles are gradually introduced to the protagonist as he/she attempts to solve the original puzzle. These can create sub-plots and false paths for the main protagonist, but may be vital in solving the main plot line's puzzle.

• Systematic dis-empowerment- The main protagonist is systematically persecuted by the antagonist who prey's on their vulnerabilities and weaknesses. The protagonist will usualy be isolated or helpless in some way, physically and/or psychologically.

• The Achilles heel- The main protagonist has a specific weakness. This weakness can be exploited by the antagonist.

   

A licence to thrill...

For this school year, my ultimate objective is to create a thriller movie opening sequence. 

The thriller movies that I've watched over the years circulate my brain; "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo", "Memento", "Unbreakable", the "Borne" trilogy and so on all have a brilliant, yet relatively gloomy narrative.

You see, I'm a fan of all things serious and brooding when it comes to films, which brings me to my main point; From the moment of knowing that my task for AS media is to create a thriller opening sequence, I've pictured something dark, something that's gritty and full, to the brim, with grey areas.





A way in which I can achieve this would be through the thriller's characters and narrative;  any protagonist, I find, is infinitely more interesting when depicted as an "antihero" and likewise for the main antagonist, because not every "bad guy" likes to kill puppies, and not every "good guy" beams sunshine from his or her backside. The setting could be a darker twist on what the viewer would find to be everyday or mundane; a world that he/she can relate to except it's a world observed through the eye's of the characters within it, possibly representing their feelings and emotions, a kind of pathetic fallacy.

An extreme example of how setting and editing can be used to convey characters and narrative, "Sin City" maintains a noir filter throughout its entire length, casting a gloomy and brooding shadow over the film. Areas of significance to the characters or narrative are in full, stylized colour and therefore draw the audiences attention as they contrast greatly with the overall darker mise en scene.