Evaluation

AS Media Opening 'Silenced' Evaluation on Prezi

Construction

Research and Planning

Children of Men

In the opening to Children of Men, future London is being represented however this perception is not a positive one. London the capital of England is no longer the ideal place for people to live it looks dirty, uncared for, old and dangerous. This negative representation of London in 2027 has been created through mise – en – scene, the props that are put in the scene all help to enhance the thriller genre. There are rubbish bags thrown everywhere and bombs exploding randomly and high levels of pollution are evident in many of the shots. The negative representation is also shown through the lighting of the whole scene being very dull and dark.



In the sequence we see humanity being represented in the form of survivors that have survived a world wide pandemic. We are introduced to one main character, we know this because the camera tracks his movement (track shot). It is possible and most likely that this man is the protagonist as his importance is made clear from the camera shots but he does not exactly fit all of our established ideas of what a hero in a film should be. We would expect the hero to be helpful and a morally good person however this man does not show these characteristics. The first shot shown is in the coffee shop, there is clearly something important happening as a large crowd has gathered and they are all interested in the news however this possible protagonist is the only one who is not, he seems to continue with his life. The death of this significant boy does not seem to affect him like it has done to the other citizens.

In addition a bomb explodes in a shop on the streets of London his initial reaction was not to try to help anyone like you would expect a hero to do.  In this opening the people of London are represented in a negative way, nobody is smiling they all seem depressed moving in a robot like fashion showing no emotions. We see the anger in some characters when the train goes past and they attack the train we also see one character crying it’s almost as if there is no hope or happiness anymore.

Women are almost seen as unimportant, women usually have the gift of being able to produce, carry and give birth to children however the narrative of this story has stripped women of this gift therefore their initial purpose is no longer present. It is also possible that the women have now been replaced with men this idea can be shown through the title ‘Children of Men’. In addition, they seem to be represented as being extremely emotional, we can see this in the scene where woman are crying at their desks. Furthermore woman are caged up and although they are asking for help they are being completely ignored.

The future is not represented as positive or successful, the area is dirty and unclean the buildings are degrading, the iconic red buses are no long bright but a very dull rusty colour and there are fires and bin bags thrown everywhere and the pollution is visible. There are motorbike carriages driving around the streets leaving behind a think trail of smoke polluting the air in London making the area look dull and dark. However the futuristic element is still there as it shows pictures on the windows of the buildings. In addition the future is being represented in a negative way this is because the future looks bleak since there are no children and the city looks miserable. 



In the opening scene the lighting is very bleak and dull even though there is colour onscreen, the thick pollution also helps to disguise any colour that may be still visible. The dark lighting translates into the negative mood of the people and the destruction of what is happening in the world.  Although when the main character (Clive Owen) meets up with his friend (Michael Caine) there is a quick but short change in the lighting, as an audience we see the sun slightly shine on the two characters. I think this could represent Michael Caine’s character as being a glimmer of hope in this awful situation.

In the first scene the camera shots have purposely been chosen to create a huge amount of effect and to get the audience to really think about the whole idea behind this film. Since the opening shot is a wide and high angle shot, which shows firstly how important Baby Diego was to humanity since the wide shot shows the amount of people that are looking so sad but secondly the high angle shot gives baby Diego a high status. After the main character (Clive Owen) comes out of the cafe the camera appears to track him however the shot used is not steady and appears to be a point of view shot (which can associated with many war films). When he pours alcohol into his coffee the camera pans around him so that the audience sees the full extend of the location and also the bomb which is about to explode.  After the explosion the camera uses point of view shot showing someone running towards the explosion passing the main character, the camera movement is very shaky and looks realistic. 

We feel that so far this film does not confirm our expectations of a feature film because in the opening scene when there is a big explosion the camera work is very shaky although this is intentionally done and looks much more realistic, in most feature films this is not the case. we don’t think we would change anything in this opening scene, since we really like the way that there is a slight point of view shot in the scene where the camera is tracking the main character and just after the explosion the camera quickly goes to look at what has just happened, which we think different approach than conventional feature films.

The Mise – en – scene has been added to both make the location look as normal and natural as they can and to create a dirty area nobody has a reason to clean, this indicates the end of the world. The mise – en – scene also helps to set the location by including identifiable objects such as the red double decker buses, police officers and many different people in the scene. Within this film other props put in to the scene like; rubbish bags thrown around, motorbike cars (leaving a thick trail of smoke behind), trains covered in graffiti and soldiers guarding with guns this shows us the violence in the world today moreover the other props indicate to us how the world is on the verge of ending.

From the opening sequence of this film, we can guess the genre is a hybrid (mixture of genres), it is a mixture of action, adventure, sci-fi and possibly thriller. We get the idea that this film could be a thriller because when the film starts you are introduced to death and during the bomb explosion someone walks out with only one arm; this indicates that there will be violence within this film also fitting action conventions. The people are generally aggressive (throwing things at the train and bombing shops) and from the television on the train you can see how the world is beginning to fall apart with fires. This film seems to be an adventure film because you can interpret knowing the man is the protagonist of the film that he will have to go on a quest or adventure to find a cure to infertility and save the world. There is also the element of science fiction; this is as the film is futuristic as it is set 16 years from now. Within this short opening already so many things has happened, a bomb has gone of, the youngest man has died and all women have been made infertile which supports the action genre.

We think this film is mainly targets at an older audience, around 20 and above this is because we can tell it is not an easy film to watch, it clearly contains violence and we think it has a complicated narrative that perhaps a younger audience would not necessarily understand. The film seems to be quite heavy and dark, since it revolves around issues for a more mature age range such as infertility and upheaval in the world and therefore wouldn’t be a film that a many young people would be interested in. We don’t think this film would be aimed at a particular gender as we feel it could appeal to both, women may appreciate how the importance of women are and men may also enjoy the action element as well as the strong story line. However according to pearl and dean men are more likely to go and watch thrillers like Children of Men. 

Although only analysis of the first four minutes of the film it already seems that the film director is trying to get across many messages about current issues of the world we live in today. Especially when you see the people locked up in cages on the train platform, even though this film is set in the future it shows us how much the world has not changed and how prejudice it is towards different people. Since the people who are caged up are foreign and I am guessing that these people are refugees or immigrants trying to escape to a safe place and get away from conflict in their country. These people are being treated like animals and guarded by soldiers and I think the director is using this film to get across the message of do we really need to treat other people like this? And if we don’t stop now what is the world going to come too? The opening could be showing the consequences of not following these messages. 

Given that Universal Pictures made Children of Men this would have quite a big affect of the film content, of which most would be a positive impact. Since Universal Pictures is a huge institution it would mean that the overall look and feel of the film would be better because the film would have more money behind it meaning better actors, cameramen and set. Also being made by Universal Pictures would have an affect on the audience since they are more likely to go and see a film made by Universal than you are a film who is made by someone you don’t know.

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Se7en

Genre

The genre of this film is a thriller, we can tell this because mise-en-scene in this opening is conventional of a thriller. Throughout the opening to this film the characters identity is kept hidden, creating mystery, suspense and gains the audience interest. In a few shots you can see someone crossing out words (see fig.1) as if to create a puzzle causing the audience to question the film, this can be seen as a convention of a thriller film. In addition the main colour that is used is black, we see this between every couple of shots and this creates mystery and adds a sense of fear and darkness to the film as black tends to connote fear and the audience expects something bad to happen. 

fig 1

Theme

The theme of this film seems to be focused on death and violence, many faces are shown and they all seem to be in pain or injured, which could be caused by torture inflicted by the main character. Also a strong theme in this film is religion an important scene in this film (significant as it is repeated twice) shows the character cutting the word God out from money (see fig 2), also the music played says the lyrics ‘you’ve brought me closer to God’. Furthermore, the book or letter the character has written says the word forgiveness (see fig 3), which is a big indication to religion. Another reason that supports the religious theme is the title used, the number SEVEN is seen as a significant number within the bible; the world was created in SEVEN days, there were SEVEN deadly sins, Jesus said to “forgive SEVENTY times SEVEN”, the word SEVEN is used over 700 times in the Bible and it is used 54 times in the Book of Revelation.

fig 2

fig 3 (picture taken upside down)

Camera shots

This opening sequence is made up of many quick extreme close-up shots that are forced together. This intrigues the audience with the detail but this also leaves the audience in a ‘fear of the unknown’ creating a certain mystery and tension about the film. The mystery is created by not showing any wider shots that would give the audience some knowledge about who the character is; this again supports the thriller genre of the film. The opening shot shows an extreme close-up of a book (see fig. 4), the directors intention could have been to show the importance of this book. This is made clear by the way the actor is turning the pages is very gently and slowly and he seems to really be taking the book in, which would represent the book to be a great significance especially because it is in the opening scene. The director also chooses to use a high angle shot to show the disfigurement of the hands, the high angle shot allows the audience to fully see the damaged hands. David Fincher also limits the camera movement within this opening by only using one track showing the bookcase (see fig. 11). 

fig 4
























Editing

Colour: The editor has made the opening on this film mainly in a dull sepia tone (see fig. 4), this creates some darkness to the film and it also contrasts well with the quick bright flashes of red that appear throughout (see fig. 5), this red connotes violence and death. Both of these main colours that the editors choose help to create the genre of the film.

fig 5

Shots:The shots are all very rough and raw, they are edited together to form a quick fast paced opening however the shots themselves move slowly. The speed of each shot doesn’t give a lot away about the film which makes the audience question the film. This is to keep the tension high and the mood dark, it also links the film with dark ideas such a murder and serial killers complimenting the genre of the film. Some images are even repeated over the top of the previous image I think this adds to suspense that is built up, it could also show indicate an ongoing task (see fig. 6).  

fig 6

Credits: The credits during this opening are edited well so that they twitch and flicker in and out of shots this is done successfully as it helps to emphasise the thriller genre and enhance the deep and dark atmosphere of this film. The handwritten style of the credits gives the audience the impression that the antagonist wrote the words and some text is scratched heavily into the back ground which could show the anger the character may feel (see fig. 7). 

fig 7

Sound

The only sounds heard in the sequence is non-diegetic. Technology was also used to create certain sounds like the high pitched screech sound that is played a few times. The music, a track called ‘nine inch nails’, is deep and creates the dark atmosphere of the film and the added scratches could almost be mistaken for screams of the possible victims bringing fear and suspense to the audience. The music seems to follows the action, as it starts off quite slow, then when the hands seem to be creating a plan the music picks up pace. So when the shot is played where you see the character cutting out the word ‘God’ the music in the background sings ‘you’ve brought me closer to God’ emphasising the religious over tones in the film (see fig. 2). 

Characters

The creators of this film were very careful to not give too much away or show any main characters however we do see a few faces during the sequence, we assume these faces could be victims as one face was brutally crossed out in pen (see fig. 8), one man has something coming out of his head (see fig. 9), another was showing with a red colour (connoting violence and death) and another looks painfully disfigured (see fig. 10). Also in the opening sequence the audience sees the names of the actors who are going to be staring in the movie this is Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and Gwyneth Paltrow.

we assume the main character is the person with the plan, the hands in which we see throughout the scene as he seems to show the most significance. We can see that the main character has dirt in his nails this could show that he is a care free guy and does his job even if it is a little bit dirty, we think this is a strong character to have in a thriller as it could lead to the brutality of his killings if he is in actual fact the murderer, the nails also make the audience think what has he been doing to have this dirt in his nails (see fig. 11). Despite the fact we don’t know much about him we can tell he is religious (him cutting out the word ‘God’ is clearly significant as it is shown twice), creative (he is making and writing something), very precise (perhaps a little obsessive) and possibly psychotic for example when he cuts his finger tips with a razor (see fig. 12). 

fig 10

fig 11

fig 12

Location

In this sequence the audience is not shown much of the location as all of the camera shots used are extreme close ups only focusing one little detail but however I can infer that the location is dark and is likely to be somewhere away from the public view. I think it could be either a dark room where photographs are developed (see fig. 13) or a library due to the large amount of books at the end of the sequence (see fig. 14).

                                                                                                            

fig 13

fig 14








Lighting

The lighting in the sequence is dark this is typically found in horror or thriller films, it is used to create suspense and set the mood and atmosphere in the scene. The sequence is overall quite dull and bleak. Although in some of the shots there seems to be a glow of sunlight or light, especially on the books which again I think signifies that the book has a big importance.

Mise-en-scene

The main props that feature in this opening include, a book, a razor, pen, needle, pictures and scissors. All these props are shown with using close up and extreme close up shots showing that they all must have some importance to the narrative. The razor, needle and the scissors could be argued to be very significant props as they are both conventionally found in this particular type of genre as they are potential weapons and can possibly cause harm. 

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Panic Room


Camera angles/shots  

The opening camera angle that the audience is introduced to in the beginning sequence of Panic room is an establishing shot of what looks like New York City this indicates where the movie will be set and where the action is going to take place. This shot is an extreme long shot (see fig. 1), which is then followed by a variety of other long shots of skyscrapers. The camera then pans left to right to show the actors/actresses names that feature in the movie on top of buildings. We believe this is done to show the setting of where the movie is going to take place in even more detail. Also there are quite a few high angle shots (see fig. 2) which show people and cars down below this is done to show how big these skyscrapers are and how minuscule and powerless people are in proportion to these skyscrapers.  Two shots before Jodie Foster’s character begins to speak there is a low angle shot of another building (see fig. 3) because of its size it would suggest that there is an intimidating presence in this movie.

fig 1

                              fig 2

fig 3




Editing 

There is not much in terms of editing going on in the opening sequence. Although there are quite a lot of different shots used therefore the editing that would have taken place would have been revolved around transitions of the clips and trying to make sure that each transition was smooth and not jumpy. This will then help the audience to get a clear view of where the movie is set. 

Characters

The audience do not see any characters or any dialogue in the opening sequence until the end. This is so that the audience can recognise the significance of the location in the film and perhaps create suspense from the unknown identity of who the characters are, resulting in an immediate interest. At the end of the scene a woman is finally introduced to the audience, a middle-aged woman who is walking and having a conversation with what appears to be a younger looking girl who could possibly be her daughter, the woman is talking about a house and the size of it (see fig. 4).

fig 4

Narrative/Plot

The opening sequence is very vague in that it does not clearly indicate a narrative or what will happen further on in the film. The only real detail we find out about the film is that it is set in the centre of New York City, other than this we do not learn what the female character has to do with the narrative of the film and the role she plays in it. 

Sound

In the opening sequence to ‘Panic room’ the music used is very significant, it is used to add emphasis and to enhance the thriller genre of the film. As the sequence begins the music is very deep, low and slow creating a mysterious atmosphere. After the title of the film is revealed you can hear a clock ticking, this automatically fits the thriller genre as the tension is built. Ticking clocks usually connotes that something bad will happen when the clock runs out, perhaps a bomb or someone’s life line. It leaves the audience curious and intrigued, why there is a clock and what does it mean. Also once the title is shown the music changes, the tempo increases and gets louder, matching the clocks beat. In addition, you can hear diagetic sounds, sounds that you are used to hearing like cars, this creates makes the opening seem realistic. 

Mise-en-Scene

In the opening scene of panic room, the Mise-en-scene helps to create the typical New York scene. There are objects like cars, tall buildings, skyscrapers, billboards and people (see fig. 5). Objects that you generally associate with a city, this also tells us where the action is most likely to happen within this film. Everything seems normal within this city. 
fig 5.

Locations

The location of this film is set in New York City with tall buildings and cars. It is also clear to us that it is set in New York as in one of the shots used you can see the Empire State Building (see fig. 6). 

Themes

The theme of this film is not yet clear, but from the camera movements in the opening sequence we get a feeling of voyeurism, which is when someone is being watched without them acknowledging, this is down to the camera panning over the city at high angles. In addition at the end of the credits the camera pans down onto two women speaking about an apartment which may be significant to the plot and indicates this where the film may take place.  

Genre

The genre of this film is a thriller; we think the main indicator of this is the music. The music combined with the ticking clock is very dramatic and adds to the suspense all adding to the atmosphere fitting the thriller conventions. Also as no main characters are identified immediately to the audience it shows that they want to be kept a secret and create more mystery.

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Jaws analysis

Sound
In the opening of Jaws the music used is very significant and is successful in creating the suspense filled atmosphere of a typical thriller genre. The director chose to allow the audience to hear the non-diegetic music before the image emerges from the black screen, this creates a huge amount of tension as the audience senses are restricted and therefore cannot see what is happening but the dramatic and  mysterious music indicates that what is about to happen will not be something good. The tempo of the music fits well with the camera movements, as when the camera (tracking the shark) speeds up as if the shark is hunting its targeted pray, the music speeds up and increases in volume. Then just as you assume something is about to happen the camera suddenly cuts to a completely contrasting shot where you hear diegetic sounds of people communicating, laughing and making music completely oblivious to the dangers in the water that we as the audience know about. The characters are making their own music using instruments like a guitar and a harmonica; this is done to create and emphasise the contrasting shot of these people relaxing and having fun. Then as the scene continues we hear an actual conversation between two characters creating a connection between the audience and these characters. After these two characters have moved away down to the sea, we can hear more diegetic sounds of the water splashing helping to make this scene as natural and realistic as possible. Then as the camera cuts from the long shot of one of the characters in the water, back to the point of view shot of the shark, the familiar dramatic music track we heard before continues and we then know that the shark is directly below the girl. The music builds a high suspense and as well as the knowledge the audience already has, we know it is inevitable this girl is going to die; it is just a question of when. The next sound we hear is her panicking and screaming because of her pain and fear, the director chooses to then cut between her screams to a shot of the silent beach indicating that nobody can hear her screams. The next significant shot shows her clinging on to the safety buoy and she is no longer screaming making the audience relax and question if she is now safe but of course that isn’t the case and her screams soon continue until she is finally dragged under and the silence is emphasised again connoting her death. The music that was used at the opening of this sequence was so significant and turned into a very iconic, distinctive and recognisable piece that everyone associates with this film; it is very catchy and dramatic. This music was created by ‘John Williams’ who has also composed pieces for other iconic films such as star wars and superman.

Camera shots/angles
The camera shots and angles that are used in this opening are very important in relation to the narrative/plot; many different shots are used throughout. The film opens with an extremely effective point of view shot which the audience is left to figure out by themselves, this is a good technique to gain attention and interest. This point of view shot is the point of view of the shark and it shows his movement under the water, the camera moves quickly showing the speed of the shark and together with the music creates the image that the shark is hunting, hunting something bigger than the smaller fish he has left and swam past. 

The camera then pans over the group of teenagers sitting on the beach showing a normal setting and the camera then uses the 180’ rule to show a developing interest between the two characters, the camera shows medium close up of the two characters creating the appearance of them being closer than they actually are however once the camera pans out to a long shot of the location, we can see the distance between them and how isolated she (Chrissie) is away from the group and the comfort of the fire, this distance indicating she may be ‘unsafe’ or the first victim.

A long tracking shot is used when the couple separate from the group which we think is used to empathise them ironically running away from the safe area surrounding the fire to the dangerous waters. A long shot is again used just as Chrissie jumps into the water; this shows the mass scale of the water and this also allows you to see the buoy in the background which turns out to be a significant prop.

The camera cuts between him and her, showing her distance away from him and yet again how isolated she is. The camera next cuts to the point of view of the shark once again, showing that the shark is below and watching up at her, and then the audience knows this is the end of Chrissie.
























As the shark begins to attack Chrissie the camera movement is very restricted, it stays in a close up shot without following any movements, this is an effective technique used to highlight her movement and how the shark is throwing her around the sea helplessly. This is also dramatised with the quick cuts to the contrasting shot of him laying on the beach oblivious to the shark attack.

Editing
In the opening scene the editing used is kept to a minimum which works well with the plot and the genre. The credits are edited so that they fade in from the black screen then out again, this follows the thriller conventions by adding suspense and tension as it slows down the scene creating a good build up. A gradual build up helps the director to keep the audience on the ‘edge of their seats’ waiting for the dramatic scene to happen. The speed and editing of the credits also fits in well with the speed of the music used. A fast cut with no complicated transitions is used when it goes from the underwater reef shot to the campfire; this editing is close to show the contrast between the two scenes, the coldness of one and the warmth of the other.
















There is also quick cuts and editing used when showing close ups of the two different characters, to express their interest in each other. In addition the two different shots of the shark attack and the boy lying on the beach are also edited and cut together quickly to show the brutality of the attack and the contrasting scene.

mise en scene
As the camera pans over the group of teenagers, you can see fire which the students are sitting around. The fire is added into the scene as it is an element and connotes safety and warmth, this is effective as the character that was sitting the furthest away from this symbolism of comfort is ironically the first to get injured.

There is also a fence that is added to the scene which shown when the camera pans out on the beach for the first time, although this fence looks very weak it appears to put a barrier between the ocean, where we know a shark is lurking, and the seemingly safe beach where the teenagers are sitting on.

A buoy is also added to the scene which is usually associated with safety, and she uses it as something she can grab on to for safety, tricking the audience into thinking she is no longer in danger.

Characters
The first character we are introduced to is the shark, but throughout the whole opening scene you do not actually see the shark, but the camera is in his point of view. The first scene is underwater where we can see many small fishes in the point of view of the shark however although you would expect the shark to eat these fish he doesn’t and the camera passes over them quickly, this is done so that the audience can work out that this shark is praying on something much bigger than fish perhaps humans. In the next shot we can see a pan of a whole group of people laughing, joking, playing music, kissing and talking (all normal teenage things).





























The camera then seems to be concentrating on a boy sitting faced away from the crowd of teenagers, which automatically makes the mind associate him with being a possible protagonist or main character, he appears to be watching intently showing he has an interest in something which we cannot see but are immediately interested. We are then introduced to another character who we can interpret as the interest of the first boy. Once the camera pans out we can see this character is sat far away from the others, she is isolated which immediately indicates that she may be the first victim of the shark. This is a typical thriller convention that the female is the first killed as they are stereotyped as vulnerable and weak therefore creating the easiest victim. We as the audience can recognise the stupidity of their next actions as they run off down the beach where we know there is danger, as we can hear the conversation it adds identity to the characters therefore creates a slight emotional attachment and the audience may be more intrigued with what may happen to them. As an audience we become more emotionally attached with the young girl when we find out her name, which is Chrissie. This small thing of letting the audience know her name makes the audience see this character more than just a girl that gets killed but a girl with a name and whole life. The male character may be seen as comical as he is drunk, therefore is falling over everywhere which initially saves his live but this also makes him seem defenseless and rejects the connotations of a protagonist especially as the girl is dying whilst he is lying on the beach not too far away. 






Location
From the opening sequence of the movie we can clearly see that one of the locations, which will feature in the film, is the beach and more specifically the sea. This is given away in the opening shot, which is underwater. Also from the accents in the opening it suggests that it is somewhere in America.

Narrative/plot
From the opening sequence we feel that a substantial amount about the plot it given away but not so much that the whole film is completely revealed. Since in the opening the young girl Chrissie get gets killed in the sea by something, and because the director does not show any shots of what is attacking her it leaves the audience in suspense wanting and waiting to find out what is doing this. The beginning and the ending of the opening are both brought back to equilibrium; where everything is calm and peaceful.


Themes
A theme in this film is murder which is portrayed by the immediate death of Chrissie indicating there will be many more to come.


Genre
The genre in this film is definitely thriller, since in the opening sequence a young vulnerable girl gets attacked and killed by a mystery creature. Therefore by keeping the creature a mystery creates suspense and tension, which adds to the audience curiosity. The music and its increasing tempo also helps to create the thriller genre.

                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Flightplan Analysis 

Camera Shot/Angle/Movement

While the credits are rolling there are several quick close-up shots of a train moving at extremely high speeds. After the train has stopped the audience sees a wide shot showing the back of a woman sitting down waiting at the station in front of the train. The camera slowly tracks in closing the distance between the audience and the woman, this could be done to create suspense and to make the audience want to know who woman is and what she looks like as our view is restricted as she is not facing the camera. The camera quickly changes to mid shot of the ‘unknown woman’s face’ and it also shows the name of the station as if to add location to the scene, the camera tracks in on the woman’s face showing a close up allowing the audience to interpret her emotions of fear and anxiety. After this shot the woman is in a different location and there is a wide shot to show where the woman is located, once the woman has stopped the camera pans a little to show the top half of the female character. The location then changes again and there is a low angle shot where the female character is looking up to a male character, the camera then goes to a high angle long shot to allow the audience to see exactly where they are and what they are doing. Another low angle shot is used when the man is going up the stairs and female character asks him to come back down, which then leads to a pan of the area where they are. 

Sound

In the opening sequence of ‘Flightplan’ there is a mixture of both diegetic and non-diegetic sound. The scene begins with the diegetic sound of fast train going by, but once the train has come to a halt very quite overlay music is played just as the camera start to zoom up to the back of the characters head, once the camera has stopped we hear a high pitched noise. This then turns into a conventional thriller film type of music, which is mysterious and creates more suspense this is played throughout the opening sequence. Also dialogue features in the opening scene.

Editing

At the beginning of the film the editing is quite fast since the shots of the train are rapid. Although after this the shots are slow fairly slow I think this is done because there is acting and dialogue taking place in the scenes so if they were to fast the audience would not be able to understand the film. (However the locations do change from one another a lot throughout the opening so some may say it is fast paced in terms of this.)

Lighting 

In the opening scene the lighting is very bright for a conventional thriller film, with the station being bright and even the train being yellow, which typically connotes happiness. Although after this scene the lighting returns to what is normal for a thriller film with very dim lighting at the morgue. Also when she gets of the train and we see the train going the lights seem to spark and flash this is then taken into the lights at the morgue, where the light flash off and the woman is in the darkness but then as she walks towards the casket she steps into the light. 

Mise-en-scene

In the opening scene the only conventional thing which I may expect to find in a thriller movie is a dead body and a casket. Other than this the props which are used are very normal of everyday life such as a train 

There is very little put into the scene especially at the train station i think this has been done to try to get the audience to focus more of the actors and story line.

Characters

As an audience we are introduced to what looks to be the protagonist and main character early on in the film. The woman who is played by Jodie Foster looks to be the protagonist 

Also in the opening scene we are briefly introduced to male character and two men who work at the morgue. 

Locations

From just analysing the opening sequence I can tell that location which the film is set somewhere in Germany since the accent and language which the people in the morgue have and the name of the station, which we see in the opening scene when the woman is sitting at the station. In the opening sequence movie is set in three different locations within Germany these are the train station, the morgue and some kind of apartments/flats. 

Narrative

So far in the opening scene not much is being given away about what is going to happen but what is clear is that the woman’s husband has died and the body is going to be shipped to another location. Also we see the woman having flashbacks of her being with her husband.

Genre

The genre of this film is a mystery thriller; I think this because so far the film has not given much away and since it is being set at night it automatically makes be feel like it is a dark thriller movie, which will be very ambiguous. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Comparison of Seven and Panic Room 

Questionnaire

1. Are you male or female?

Male

Female

2. How old are you?

Under 12

12 - 14

15 - 24

25 - 34

35 - 44

45+

3. Do you like to watch thriller films?

Yes

No

4. If yes, how often do you watch them?

Never

Rarely

Sometimes

Regularly

5. Which sub genre of thriller movies to you prefer to watch?

Action

Adventure

Crime

Drama

Sci-Fi

Psychology

Spy

Conspiracy

Mystery

Religious

Supernatural

6. Do you like music to be featured in the first two minutes of the opening sequence?

Yes

No

I have no opinion

7. How much dialogue do you think should feature in the first two minutes of the opening sequence?

Hardly any

Some    

Lots

8. What do you think should feature in the opening sequence?

Studio Logo and Distributor

Studio Logo, Distributor and actor’s name

Studio Logo, Distributor and director’s name

Studio Logo, Distributor, director’s name and the name of the film

All of the above and the name of the film

9. How much do you think should be revealed in the opening two minutes of the film?

Not much

A bit

A large amount

Open Window Storyboard

This is our preliminary task which shows us test out the cameras, match on action shots, 180 rule and the tracking shots.

Silenced Script

Silenced

int - girl is sitting at a computer desk in her house

A dimly lit room on the computer, typing quickly. A small message appears at the bottom saying ‘you’ve got mail’ from Mellissa Johnson, she then clicks on it and a video appears on the screen.

INT - A girl talking into a webcam

JOUNALIST/MELLISSA

This is Mellissa Johnson reporting for BTN news.

(sigh)

Its two o’clock in the morning.

(sigh)

I’m in a house and 

all what they said is true

(swallow) 

i’ve just seen it

the foating white eyes, the figures, the chanting 

i cant get it out of my head

(breathing hard)

    can you hear that?

        the footsteps? 

(look behind)

they’re coming

i dont wanna

  please i dont wanna die

        you’ve got to help me

  please someone help

int - amanda’s room

Amanda quickly picks up the phone and begins to dial as she puts the phone to her head but it doesn’t work. You can see someone’s feet approaching the house. Amanda slowly turns her head around and just before the screen turns black, we hear Amanda and gasp.

Characters:

The victim ‘Melissa Johnson’ - Laura Mandeville

Our victim has just witnessesed something very traumatising and has knowledge that ‘they’ are coming back for her therefore we tried to create a look of fear but also urgency as she is broadcasting an important message to someone, knowing ‘they’ are soon coming for her. However we didnt wish to focus on the emotive side, as she is still a professional report who is bascially doing her job, reporting an important story. We added dark make up under her eyes to show she has been through alot (possibly crying) and right now is not worried about her appearence which is strange for a reportor, as they are generally looking glamorous covered in makeup. We also did this to empahsise her eyes, as that will be the main focal point in our movie. The dark outline makes the blue in her eyes stand out againt her pale face achieving a look of fear. Her hair is also ‘tossled’ to add to her distressed look and to connote she has been doing something like running which is regecting the ‘perfect’ reportor look and showing she has no time to think about her appearance. 

The Protagonist - Jessica Crook

We added the glasses to create a professional look and also didn’t add any make up or do anything to her hair to make her look relaxed as she is the the comfort of her own house. We didnt want anything dramatic with this character as it may distract from the importance of the scene and could also affect how her reactions appear to the audience. 

Locations:

Dark Room - Cupboard under stairs, in Natasha Manzella’s house

The main part of our film is set in a ‘dark house’ to achieve this we filmed in a dark and empty cupboard under a staircase. This was a perfect location as we were able to shut out any natural light, so the camera light was the only light avaliable. Dark settings is a main convention in all thriller films as it creates a sense of mystery and ‘fear of the unknown’ as you are unable to see any of the surroundings which also adds to the suspence creating the thriller genre. 

This image shows the protagonist, Melissa, sitting in the location, just before filming. --> 

This is an image showing our second location (filmed in Laura Mandeville’s house), where our protagonist is working on the computer. This was filmed with the light on so that it creates the contrast between the other dark shots (inspired by Jaws), this also symbolises safty which breaks conventions, as this being a thriller is clearly not the case. 

Our 3rd location was shot in bexleyheath down the street where our protagonist is located as he approaches the house.