Research Into Editing Styles - Miss Georgiou

 

Good editing is very important in films, especially in the thriller genre. Certain editing styles are used in most thriller films to create suspense and excitement. In this clip of 'Orphan', several editing techniques are used to enhance the dramatic, violent scene.



During the conversation between (approximately) 0:20 and 0:29, there are many shot reverse shot used, which also happens throughout the clip. The shots are mostly used to show the little, frightened girl (Max) reacting to the strange demands of her new adoptive older sister (Esther) - Esther wants her to stop a car by waving her hands. This increases the relationship between the character and the audience because we feel very sorry for the little girl; she can't fully understand the situation, as she is young and deaf. Furthermore, because Max is young, she is naive and trusts Esther. The audience can infer that Esther is not a normal child, and therefore feel very sympathetic towards Max. This is conventional for a thriller because the audience must be aware of the good/bad characters, sympathising and empathising with the good characters.

From 0:22 - 0:29, there is a 'linking of shots' editing technique used. Shots of the conversation between Esther and Max are interspersed with shots of a single car driving along the road. Since Esther is telling Max to jump in front of a car and wave her arms to stop it, the audience knows that this is the car she means. The shots are linked together to add emotional impact, and warn the audience of what is approaching: Max being pushed in front of the car. This creates a tense atmosphere as the audience is on edge about forthcoming events, and causes them to worry about the little girl. This editing technique is an effective and conventional way for thrillers to engage the audience with the film, and make them feel the character's fear.

From 1:13, fast editing is used to show Esther beat the nun and throw the hammer away. The fast editing adds excitement to the scene, and also enhances the shock of the unexpected violence. This scares the audience, and they also sympathize with the nun who is getting beaten. It's conventional for a thriller (and other genres) to use fast editing when there is action or violence. It enhances the viewer/character relationship when the audience is paying more attention to what is happening on screen; the audience watch more closely when fast editing is used so as to see all of the different shots and events.

At 2:28, there is a jump cut to the hammer that Esther is using to kill the nun. The camera suddenly focuses on the hammer immediately before the final hit is shown, to enhance the feel of shock and surprise for the audience. It also increases the importance of the weapon. Thrillers always aim to shock the viewer, which can be achieved in many different ways; jump cuts are just on. Moreover, we can see that the hammer is very high in the air and will come crashing down on the victim. This makes the audience uneasy, and also feel sympathetic towards the victim. This again is typical of a thriller film, as it is important for the audience to connect with the characters and the storyline for the full psychological effect of a thriller.

In summary, editing styles are used within this clip and the thriller genre to create tension, shock or surprise. This is also effective in engaging the audience. In my own thriller, I aim to create the same atmosphere using similar editing techniques.

Research into mise-en-scene - Miss Georgiou

 

Mise-en-scene (French for "placing on stage") is the physical environment of a frame. It has 5 elements: settings and iconography; costume, hair and make-up; facial expressions and body language; lighting and colour; and positioning of characters/objects within the frame. This essay will explore the mise-en-scene of the above linked clip of 'Scream 4'.

There is a domestic setting in the opening scene of this film. This homely setting provides a sense of safety and normality. However, if the audience has seen the first 3 Scream films, this is not the case, as the first murdered victim always answers a strange call at their home. It is conventional of a thriller to show the victim in a seemingly safe place, and it is also conventional for film series to have common themes/events. At 0:10, there is a house-phone on a table, ringing (the ringing is also heard over the title for "dimension films"). This, as previously mentioned, is an important part of the plot, as indicated by other Scream films. The masked killer always calls its victims before appearing and murdering them. Again, it is conventional of a thriller film (series, especially) to have a specific way of warning the audience of a killer.

At 0:21, when the characters answers the phone, we see that she is wearing a bright yellow shirt. This symbolizes her happiness and innocence, representing her as an easy victim/target. It is conventional of a thriller to have their victims wear bright, pure colours such as white and yellow, as this suggests their vulnerability, making it clear to the audience that they are a potential victim. Furthermore, at 0:27, we see that this character is wearing everyday, ordinary make-up, in addition to an everyday hairstyle. This provides a sense of normality and makes the character relatable to the audience. It is conventional of thrillers to choose ordinary females as victims.

 At 1:07, the two female characters are having a casual conversation about a "facebook stalker". The female character in this frame has relaxed and playful facial expressions and body language, to suggest that she is at ease and, at that time, has a nonchalant attitude. This is also true for the other female character. However, as it is conventional of thrillers to slowly build suspense by making scenes seemingly uneventful and harmless, the audience can expect that something is going to happen to either or both of these girls.

At 3:14, the first female character that is seen in the film has answered a mysterious knock at the door, but seen no one in the street, and is looking outside for the person who did it. She is positioned right in the centre of the frame. This is to focus on her and her importance to the film/scene. The fact that she is standing in the doorway is also significant, as this is where she gets stabbed about 30 seconds later. Thriller films always give away hints about future events of the film (foreshadowing) in ways such as this, as it prepares the audience and makes them feel fear for the character(s).

 At 3:18, low key lighting is used in the frame. It is night outside, so the only light sources are the porch lights. This creates a late-night, eerie feel, adding to the tense atmosphere created by the mysterious knocking on the door. Sharp, contrasting shadows create a suspenseful atmosphere. It is conventional for a thriller to use low key lighting to build tension and suspense. Also in the frame, we see, among the monochromatic house/sky, the (future) victim's yellow shirt. This use of colour contrast makes the character stand out so the audience focuses mostly on them. It also, as previously mentioned, highlights the character as being an innocent victim. Films of the thriller genre typically use bright, pure colours to represent the vulnerability of the victims.

Overall, in this clip, components of mise-en-scene are used to create suspense and foreshadow certain events that will come in the film. When planning my own thriller, I will take into consideration all the conventions (for example, low key lighting) of thriller films, shown here and in any further research I do. I plan on using light colours for the victims' clothes in my thriller clip, as it is a good way to show that they will in fact be victims.

Individual ideas for a narrative - Miss Georgiou

I have taken the following inspiration from these thriller films:

• Scream: hidden identity of killer
• Prom Night: false sense of happy teen film, achieved by costumes
• The Happening: unique plot
• The Strangers: isolation
• Orphan: killer has a bond with a family, killer is female, killer is unexpected/seemingly harmless
• Saw: killer has an emotional backstory
• The Conjuring: strange events, builds suspense, realistic
• Se7en: jerky, uneasy, mysterious opening sequence

Narrative idea, opening sequence, characters, conventions, Mise-En-Scene, plot:

• Narrative idea: point of view of killer, mysterious (inspiration from Se7en)
• Opening Sequence: jerky images, hidden identity of character (inspiration from Se7en and Scream)
• Characters: unknown killer, family of husband, bride/killer, husband's new wife, killer's therapist (inspiration from Orphan - domestic idea)
• Conventions: low-key lighting, hidden identity, suspense
• Mise-En-Scene: domestic settings, somewhat isolated (inspiration from Scream and The Strangers)
• Plot: Woman's fiance leaves her at the altar, her mental state deteriorates and she kills his friends and then him, for revenge. Opening sequence includes her in a dark, bedroom flipping through a photo album of everyone who was invited to the wedding [then a flashback to the wedding], and landing on her ex-fiance's face and crossing it out. Flashbacks to killing him and his friends. Several flashbacks of wedding memories throughout.

The target audience for my thriller film will be older teens (15 certificate). I have chosen this because the film may be too frightening, complicated and intense for children younger than 15 years of age.

Research into Cinematography – Miss Miller

 The Happening

In this essay, I will be discussing cinematography within the thriller genre. Cinematography is the use of camera shots and angles to create a certain mood or atmosphere in a film. Typical camera shots vary between genres, as different genres want to create different atmospheres.  The clip I will be analysing the cinematography of is the opening to the apocalyptic thriller film ‘The Happening’ (above). I chose this clip because this film uses stereotypical shots for thriller films, despite having a slightly different premise to other thriller films.

In this part of the opening, a long shot is used, showing the entire crowd in the park. The purpose of using this shot is to show the people in the park looking ordinary, tricking the audience into thinking the scene is innocent and uneventful before the mass suicide starts. It is conventional of a thriller to shock the audience, and to do this the film must contain an element of surprise – meaning that, before the shock, there must be innocence.

 

Here, a point of view shot is used, so the audience can see what the woman on the park bench sees. We see the entire crowd, previously shown in the long shot, suddenly halting and standing completely still. This specific shot is used so the audience can experience the fear that the woman is feeling as these strange events occur, and we become scared and curious as to what is happening. This is conventional to the thriller genre as thrillers are psychological and therefore play with the audience’s emotions and fears. This also enables the audience to build up a relationship with the characters and empathise with them, which adds to the tension of the film, because the audience is scared with and for the characters.

This is an extreme close up shot of ‘Claire’ slowly taking the long pin out of her hair. The audience becomes worried as the other woman mentioned earlier in the scene that “it looks like those people are clawing at themselves”, suggesting everyone, for an unknown reason, is committing suicide. ‘Claire’ is acting strange, and suddenly reaches for a sharp metal object, implying that she will stab herself. This exreme close up shot is sepcifically used to focus on ‘Claire’ pulling out the long pin, signifying its importance to the scene, and to build up suspense. It is conventional of a thriller to warn the audience of objects that will sooner or later be important to the plot of the film. We know that the pin is in fact significant because ‘Claire’ stabs herself in the neck with it a few seconds after this shot.

The camera pans around builders who are having a casual conversation. When there is a sudden movement behind, the panning stops. The shot slowly turning round through the characters and then suddenly stopping creates suspense, while the sudden stop is a shock to the audience. Thrillers often ‘catch their audience off guard’ using techniques such as this to prepare them for following shocks and scary events.






When the builder is running towards another builder who fell from a roof, the camera is shaking and unsteady to represent his running – this is a ‘handheld’ shot. This shot is used because, although it represents running, it also adds a sense of uneasiness to the scene. The audience is also put into the character’s shoes, and we feel his fear. It is typical of thrillers to use handheld shots when the film becomes dangerous because the shaking and uneven camera work adds a sense of urgency to the scene. This is turn makes the audience worry for the characters and anticipate violence or drama.

After the second body falls, an aerial shot looks over the surviving builders. This shot is to make them look small and vulnerable, as they could be the next victims. Thrillers usually use this type of shot to look down on victims to portray them as weak, and the audience can infer that the people in the shot will die or be injured in the film. The sympathy that the audience feel for the characters is built up by this.

Overall, the shots and angles used in the beginning of this film are used to create tension and build suspense, making the audience feel scared and on-edge. The shots and angles used are typical of the thriller genre, as all thrillers aim to create suspense. Moreover, shots, such as Point Of View shots, are used to build up the relationship between the viewer and the characters. Thrillers are psychological films and require the audience to feel the fear that the characters feel. For my own thriller opening scene, I plan to use high angled shots to show the vulnerability of some characters.