Analysing 'Psycho'

In this essay, I will be analysing the film Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock, and in particular the shower scene, which sees the main character get stabbed and killed whilst having a shower. 

This scene uses predominantly mid – close up shots of characters and props, which allows the audience to see the reaction and the fear of the woman being stabbed. In addition, reasonable amounts of extreme closure up shots are used, which enables makes the audience feel scared. 

The scene is shot from three perspectives, from the victim, the killer and from a 3^rd person position, which allows an overview of the situation to be seen. 

Mainly eye-level shots are used to engage the audience, and when used from the victim and the killer’s perspective, the enables the audience to feel as though they are in the position of that character.

Shots often use tight framing, and the quick jump-cuts give a sense of chaos, and make the audience feel as though something is not normal. 

Often in the scene, shots show the shower or the flowing water. These shots are point of view shots from the perspective of the victim, and indicate that she is distracted from what is about to happen, and that she is completely unaware that her life will come to an end very soon. 

In the scene, jump cuts and straight cuts are mainly used, and these shots are edited together quite fast. This gives a sense of fast paced action, and makes the audience feel as though the characters are in danger and that the situation is out of control. In addition, when the victim walks from her bedroom to the bathroom, continuity editing techniques are used to clearly show the audience that she is walking from one place to another. Just as the stabbing has begun, a cut-away shot is used, showing dark cloud, thunder and rain outside. This is an image stereotypically associated with danger, which would continue to build tension with the audience. 

At the beginning of the scene, the cuts happen quite slowly, but the pace of cuts builds during the stabbing scene, again, giving a sense of chaos. The cuts then slow down after the death, which gives the impression that the victim is helpless and cannot be saved. 

Mise-en-scene is used in the scene to indicate to the audience where the scene is set. For example, when the woman is in a shower, the mid shots allow the audience to see a shower curtain and white tiles on the wall, which tells the audience that the scene is set in a bathroom. In addition, the victim’s finger and toe nails have been painted red – this perhaps indicates to the audience that something bad is going to happen, as red suggests death and danger. 

Furthermore, smoke effect is added, designed to simulate steam, which suggests to the audience that the shower is hot. This also would add to the confusion when the attack is taking place, and aids to disguise the attackers face, adding to the mystery of the scene. 

Fairly low lighting is used in the scene – this creates the impression that the bathroom and bedroom usually a fairly calm and controlled environment. It also serves to indicate to the audience that it is the evening.  

In the film, a lot of diegetic sound is used. For example, when the victim flushes her work away down the toilet, we can hear the sound of the water flow from the toilet, and also a bang is heard when the toilet seat is put down. Then, when the victim pulls the shower curtain, we can hear the curtain pulling along on the curtain rail. These sounds mean that the audience feel more involved with the action on screen, and can relate to the scene directly. From that point onwards, the sound of the running water from the shower can be heard. This sound would distract the victim from the presence of someone else in the shower, which would make the audience feel that the victim is quite vulnerable. 

Non-diegetic sound is also used in the scene. Once the victim sees her attacker, high-pitched, fast-paced discordant violin music starts, and then once the victim has actually been killed, the music changes to a minor scale, and is slower, which indicates to the audience that the situation has got worse.

 This first shot is of the shower head. It is a low angle shot, looking upwards at the shower, and the use of a mid-angle shot means that any background of the ceiling, or of other parts of the shower, is cut off. The main focus of the shot, the shower, is directly in the centre of the frame, and there is a small cross in the middle of the shower, which draws the audience’s attention directly to this point. The shot has been edited so that the flow of water goes around the camera and not on it. In addition, the fact that this shot is a Point of View shot from the victim’s perspective would make the audience understand that the victim is completely unaware of any impending danger. It is ironic that the flowing of water indicates cleansing, as in fact the victim will be killed in a few moments.  

A straight cut then moves to the next shot, which pans left from the woman having a shower, to the shower curtain, where we can just see the outline of the attacker. The eye-level shot used here puts the audience in the position of the victim, and as the camera tracks, the shot goes from a close up to a mid-shot. The style of the shower curtain, with it being slightly translucent, means that the audience has a distorted view of what is on the other side, which makes the audience intrigued as to who is there, and what the intentions of that person are.  

Once the shot has panned, the shot is framed tight on the curtain, which means that the audience’s attention is drawn to trying to work out what is on the other side. In addition, the scene is quite dimly lit, adding an element of mystery.

After the curtain opens, the scene reveals the attacker with a knife. The eye-level shot puts is taken from the position of the attacker, and the water from the shower, together with the lighting from the top left of the shot, means that the identity of the attacker is not clear to the audience. This shot uses the rule of thirds, as the important elements of the attacker – the knife and their face, are both in the centre of the shot. This shot would make the audience quite scared, as it could make them feel as though the knife is going to stab them. A jump cut is then used to move to the next shot, a close up of the knife.

This shot, which continues to be a point of view shot from the victim, shows very clearly an extreme close up of the knife that the attacker is holding. The use of a low angle shot makes the knife seem very powerful, and also makes the audience seem very weak and inferior. 

The use of depth of field, with the background being out of focus and the knife being in focus, means that the full attention of the audience is drawn towards the knife. In addition, we can still see some of the attacker’s hair, which reminds the audience who is holding the knife.

The next shot, shown on the left, again shows a point of view shot, but from the attacker’s perspective. The shot is an extreme close up of the victim’s mouth, and is showing the reaction of the victim. This, combined with the diegetic sound of a woman screaming, would make the audience feel extremely scared, as they can see the fear of the victim. Again, depth of field is used, which draws the attention of the audience straight to the woman’s mouth. In addition, the woman’s face is slightly off centre, which adds a sense of chaos and confusion to the shot.

The shot on the right shows the attacker’s knife stabbing the woman. The extreme close up shot is taken through the water coming from the shower, which means that it is not clear what exactly is happening. The bottom of the knife disappears off of the bottom of the hot, which again, adds to the sense of confusion. Furthermore, the actual stabbing occurs to the left of the shot, which allows us to see the vague outline of the attackers face in the background. Again, however, we cannot see the face of the attacker, which adds to the sense of mystery surrounding the attacker’s identity.

The scene then develops to a 3^rd person high angle shot. This allows the audience to see an overview of the situation, with the victim on the right being stabbed by the attacker on the left. This shot makes the victim seem completely defenceless, and although she is trying to defend herself by dragging the attackers hand away, the shot shows to the audience that there is no hope of escape. The framing of this shot means that no blood is shown, which indicates to the audience that the victim may not be dead yet. 

The next shot on the right shows from the attacker’s point of view, the blood running away from her body. The use of a mid-shot means that the audience can see lots of detail in this frame. The blood, coloured red which can symbolise danger, is in stark contrast to the parts of the bath that are white, a colour that usually indicates peace and safety. The high angle shot used also indicates that the victim is very helpless and defenceless. This shot has been framed to exclude any reference to the knife or to the attacker, perhaps allowing the audience to feel sad for the victim.

After the shot of the victim’s blood, a cut-away shot is used to show the sky, which looks grey and fierce, meaning that the audience associate it with a sense of impending doom for the characters involved in the main scene. Interestingly, the long shot has been framed to not show any land, which makes the audience wonder where abouts the scene is set, whether it is a city, or whether it is in a more rural location. Diegetic sounds of thunder and rain are then used, to make this image seem more imposing.

The next shot returns to the bathroom, and a point of view shot from the victim. The close up shot fills most of the frame, and makes it seem to the audience like the victim is trying desperately to escape, by grasping on to the tiles, where the audience know that she is in fact helpless. Like the previous shot in the bathroom, the red (which represents danger) of her nails is in contrast to the white of the floor, which indicates purity and safety.

The next shot, perhaps taken from the point of view of the attacker, is an extreme close up of the victim’s eye, which zooms inwards towards the pupil. This eye-level shot would make the audience feel extremely uncomfortable, if they were watching the film on the large screen of a cinema. The shot has been framed to show nothing but the eye, with no skin or other parts of the body.    It indicates to the audience that the victim is losing her battle to survive, and that she is now defenceless against her attacker.

The eye-level shot on the right then appears to show the attacker leaving the room. From this point onwards, now that the attack is complete, the editing appears to become slower. The use of a mid-shot means that we cannot see the identity of the killer very clearly, and the shot through water would perhaps indicate to the audience that the water is washing away any evidence of the killer, whilst the killer is leaving the hotel room. In contrast to one of the earlier shots, this shot has been framed to exclude the victim, which allows the audience to feel anger towards the attacker.  This shot then cuts to show the victim, reminding the audience that she is still in danger, and that the attacker has left behind destruction. 

The shot on the left then shows the victim desperately grabbing onto the shower curtain. The use of a close up shot allows us to only see the hand and the curtain, and not any other part of her body. In some ways, this shot reminds the audience of when the attacker came in, as we could only see a rough outline of the attacker through the curtain, and, like when the attacker was first introduced, a pan shot was used. This shot has been set up so that the fingers are in the centre of the shot, drawing our attention directly to the grabbing action. Also, the composition of the shot means that the area to the top right of the hand is blue – this creates an element of mystery, and makes the audience wonder what might be beyond the blue mist.

The scene then continues to show the victim’s blood being washed down the plug of the shower. This has been edited as a graphic match with the shot of the victim’s eye we saw earlier. The shot has been framed so that the plug hole fills the height of the shot, and inward spiral of the water draws the audience’s attention towards the blood that it in the plug. This shot symbolises the victim’s life and soul being washed away, and that the body is being cleansed, ready for a new life. If seen on a cinema screen, this could make some audience members frightened, and may make some people feel unwell. 

After the shot of the plughole, the shot on the left appears. The shot begins as an extreme close up, but is then edited to rotate as it zooms out, becoming a mid-shot. The shot is taken at eye, level, which would make the audience feel as though they are on the same level as the victim. Although the victim’s eye is looking to the right, the shot is framed so that the pupil of the eye is in the centre of the shot, drawing the attention of the audience to this point.

Continuity editing is then used to join the last shot to the one shown on the right. This shot shows a close up of the actors face, which is motionless, although we can still see water dripping from her hair and from her shoulders. Again, the actors eyes are looking right at the camera, which could make the audience feel very nervous and scared. At this point, reverb is applied to the diegetic sound, which makes the shower sound very distant. This indicates to the audience that the victim is now dead, and that she is no longer present in mind. Just under the actor’s neck, we can see what appears to be a pair of slippers. This reminds the audience that the victim had no idea the attack was about to take place, and that she had full intention for life to continue as normal afterwards.

After the shot of the victims face on the floor, the camera then tracks round, through the bathroom and the bedroom, to reveal a newspaper on the bedside table. This newspaper gives the audience a sense of location, as it appears to say ‘Los Angles’ on the map. The high angle of the shot means the shot is a Point of View from a 3^rd person, making the audience feel more involved with the scene. In addition, the shot uses the Golden Mean, because both the bedside lamp and the newspaper fall on this diagonal line across the shot.

After the previous shot, the camera tracks to the right, to look out of a window, creating the shot on the right. This type of scene is typically associated with the thriller genre, and the low angle of the shot makes the house and the vicious looking sky appear very imposing. At this point, the sound also changes, from the sound of the shower in the bathroom, to the sound of the bats and owls outside. This shot has been framed to still show a part of the window frame, which indicates that the shot is still inside the victim’s flat, and the red brick and yellow light coming from inside the house make the building look very intimidating. This shot, together with the other shots of the attacker, would indicate to the audience that this is not just simply a random attack on the victim.

 

In conclusion, I feel that the shower scene from ‘Psycho’ by Alfred Hitchcock displays well the different techniques that can be used when filming a dramatic scene in a thriller.

I feel that it is appropriate for the scene to have been set in a bathroom, as this is when people are at their most vulnerable, without any form of defence or protection against attack. In addition, bathrooms are places that are usually white, with white tiles, baths and floor, and as white is stereotypically associated with peace and safety, it is ironic that the blood can be seen clearly as something that breaks this. In addition, the presence of water has a big impact on this scene, as water is usually something that cleanses and is considered to be a pure substance. However, in this situation, water is used to wash away blood, which represents life.  

The shower scene from Psycho fits in well with the conventions of a modern thriller. The audience have no clue that the victim is about to be stabbed, which creates the element of surprise, which is present in most modern thrillers. Furthermore, all shots of the attacker do not clearly show his or her identity, which creates mystery, another feature common with thrillers. In addition, the scene uses lots of mid angle shots and close or extreme close ups, which, when edited together, make the action seen fast paced, making the audience feel scared.

The Opening of 'The Butterfly Effect' (2004)

 

In this piece of work, I will analyse to what extent the opening of The Butterfly effect is like a typical Thriller.

At the beginning of the film, we are told of a death, in that Evan’s Girlfriend has died, and that Evan is now on a quest to bring her back. Immediately, this gives the audience an idea of what the film is about, and how it might develop.

Unusually for the film, we are then taken back 13 years, to Evan’s childhood years, where we discover that his Father is in a mental institution. This is a technique not usually used in a Thriller, but the use of the flashback at the beginning of the film means that the audience can build an idea of how the film might develop. In addition, Evan keeps having blackouts, and so the element of mystery is created, as we are told that the Mother is on a mission to find out whether her son has the same disability as his Father.

One of Evan’s Doctors tell him to keep a Journal of everything that happens, which then becomes a very important part of the film. This is unconventional for a Thriller, as we would usually associate journals and diaries with romance movies.

The film has four main characters, Evan, Kayleigh, Tommie and Evan’s Mum. Unusually for a Thriller, the three main characters, Evan, Kayleigh & Tommie are all children, which makes the audience wonder what might be wrong with the children. A scene between Evan and his Mum shows the typical relationship between Mum & Son, indicating to the audience that they are a normal family, and their house appears to support this theory.

However, we are first introduced to the Mother when she is mending the family car, which perhaps suggests that something is not quite right. In addition, it also makes the audience wonder where abouts the Father is, as these sorts of jobs are usually associated with Males.

At the beginning of the film, the scene is set in an Office, with slit blinds creating distortion of the character on the other side. The office is dimly lit, which indicates to the audience that the characters are not meant to be there. This sort of opening is perhaps typical of a thriller, as it launches the film straight into action.

After the initial flashback, the film opens with a shot of a typical American suburb – with nice green spaces, trees and blue sky, this is in contrast to the scene shown moments beforehand. This sort of opening is not typical of a thriller, as it creates the impression that everything is calm and in order.

Later on, a scene is filmed in a school, where Children appear to be happily playing, which again, is not something we would expect to see in a Thriller film, as it gives the impression that nothing is wrong.

The start of the film is dimly lit, which adds an element of mystery to the start of the film, making the audience wonder what the characters are doing, whilst also indicating that they should not be there. In addition, Evan is wearing a hospital gown, which would make the audience wonder what is wrong with him.

After it has been revealed that Evan drew a disturbing picture of himself stabbing someone, his Mother takes him to a place call Sunnyvale Institution. This large, dark building with a long drive is very imposing, and would make the audience feel very scared. When filmed with a low angle shot, it makes the building seem very daunting compared to 7 year old Evan.

At one point in the film, Evan presents a knife to his Mum. Knives are something that are commonly used in Thriller films, as they present the feeling of fear and danger and represent death.

More unusually, after Tommy has placed a stick of Dynamite in someone’s letterbox, one of the other children give him an Asthma pump because he has been running. This does two things; adds an element of comedy to a very tense and dangerous scene, and also reminds the audience that these characters are children. Both of these actions are very unusual for a Thriller film.

Non-Diegetic string music is used at the beginning of the film, to bring an element of tension, and to indicate to the audience that the characters are in danger, and that something bad is about the happen. This is something that is often done in Thriller movies, as it makes the audience apprehensive, and makes them want to continue watching.

In addition, the fast-paced sound grabs the audience’s attention, and the increasing tempo indicates that the scene may come to a conclusion.

Also, the school bell rings just as Evan arrives at the school, which indicates to the audience that they are running late.

More unusually, when Evan is filling out his Journal, what he is writing is recorded as a voiceover, accompanied by video of him writing. This indicates to the audience that these are his thoughts, and that they are not actually being said out loud.  Also, diegetic sounds of dogs barking and birds are added in the edit, which makes adds an element of realism when they are outside. Again, this technique is something that we would expect to see in television shows, and not in a thriller film.

Death is something that is often represented in the film. For example, the first scene shows the boy dealing with the death of his girlfriend, and Evan also has to deal with the death of his Father after they meet at the Institute. Unusually, when the Father is being buried, the only people present are Evan, Evan’s Mother and Kayleigh, who we would not expect to see at the funeral. This perhaps shows that they have a strong bond between each other, and that this may develop as the film goes on.

Males are represented more in the film than females, although there is generally an even mix. This is unusual for a Thriller, as parts are mainly played by Males.

In addition, the death of the Father cuts off a crucial source of information in solving the mystery of Evan’s disability, as just before he dies, he says ‘He has to Die it’s the Only Way’. These words indicate to the audience that the Father may know something that we do not, and that as it is suspected Evan has inherited the disease from his Father, the Father’s death suggests that this is the way Evan’s life may end.

At the Father’s funeral, the editing of shots speeds up, this indicates that the narrative is moving forward in time, and that the scene will soon dissolve to another shot. This is a technique often seen in Thriller films.

Also, when Evan is being given hypnotherapy, the edit cross cuts between the current scene, and a Woman driving a car, which is then blown up. This technique suggest to the audience that this is what Evan is seeing in his head, and gives us an insight as to why he is fitting.

An unusual editing technique is that at the beginning of the film, a text overlay is used displaying the words ’13 years earlier’.  This technique is a good way of indicating to the audience how time is passing in the film, and, although unusual, works well in this instance.

When the doctor is discussing with Evan’s Mum, the Point of View shots are shown at eye level. This, together with the use of a straight cut, indicates that neither of the characters are dominating the conversation.

The edit misses out crucial details of the film, which puts us in the position of Evan, who has blackouts whenever something significant happens. This adds to the sense of mystery, and can leave the audience confused as to what is happening in the film.

Many different times of camera shots are used to film the opening part of this film.

At the beginning of the film, a tracking shot through the slit blinds follows the character on the other side of the blind, adding suspense, as the audience cannot clearly see who is on the other side. It also makes audience wonder what will happen when the camera and the character meet.

Unusually for a Thriller opening, it is filmed in one continuous shot, rather than a montage of shots. In this case, this has been used well to show the violence of the scene.

Also, after the opening, a pan shot is used showing the children cycling down a hill on a street, and, as the camera pans round, the attention is drawn from the children cycling, to Evan who is fighting with the family dog. This shows contrast between the happiness of the children on bicycles, to the violence of the fight with the dog.

When we first meet Evan and his Mum, eye-level mid shots are used. These allow the audience to learn more about the character, and allow us to relate to them more as the film develops.

As often happens in films, over the shoulder shots and a two shot are used to film a conversation between two people. This is an effective way of allowing the audience to see the reactions and expressions of both people involved.

When the Sunnyvale Institution is filmed, the use of a low angle shot makes the building seem very imposing, and makes it seem very powerful. This would make the audience scared, as we do not know who or what may be inside the building.

When Evan is introduced to his Father at the Institution, the meeting takes place in a secure room. When Evan enters, a high angle shot is used. This allows the audience to see that the room is very plain and intimidating for a 7 year old boy, and also allows us to see that there is only one exit to the room, so that if anything bad did happen, there would be no escape for the boy. This sort of shot is often used in Thriller films, as it enables the audience to see an overview of a situation, giving us a greater understanding of what is happening.

The Importance of Audiences

The audience is the group of people who consume any sort of media, whether it is a radio listener, TV viewer, Newspaper/Magazine Reader, website visitor, book reader or a person watching a movie. All these people are considered to be the audience of a piece of movie.

Audiences are vital to the people who make the media. Firstly, without an audience there would simply be no point in the media being produced. In addition, media producers rely on audience statistics to sell to advertisers, as a company would not want to advertise with media that has no audience. Therefore, if the media has poor audience, this means that the film will make no profits from advertising, meaning that the media may have to stop production.

A piece of media may have a poor audience for many reasons. They may have failed to advertise the media, such as a film, using modern methods, such as billboards, website banners and advertising on social network sites such as Facebook, Twitter & YouTube, meaning that people won’t know anything about the film, and that the film has been released. People tend to view the films that are most talked about in their social groups, so it is vital that producers raise good awareness of their piece of media.

In modern times, there is a very competitive market, which means that ‘Old Media’ forms, such as TV, newspapers and radio, have to work harder to maintain their audience. Audiences have become very ‘fragmented’, meaning that they have smaller audiences, because audiences have become ‘split’ between all the different forms of media available.

Advertisers categorise audiences into two group; mass audiences and niche audiences. Programmes such as EastEnders and BBC News attract mass audiences, as these programmes would appeal to lots of different categories of audience, from younger viewers (teenagers and people aged 20-25), right the way through to older viewers (65+). However, magazines such as Gardeners World and Golf Weekly would attract niche audiences, as these magazines only attract people interested in these activities.

Advertisers always target a specific type of audience, based on social class, gender and age. This helps them to make sure that they are targeting their advertising at the right group of people, meaning that they will be in the best position to earn the most interest out of the advertising they are selling.

There are now many ways in which a piece of media can advertise. Social media sites, such as Facebook, rely on advertising revenue to keep operating. The company sells advertising using the sidebars and headerbars on their website. Organisations can select the audience they would like to target, by their location, their age and their gender. The video service YouTube, run by Google, also offer an advertising scheme, and often run commercials at the beginning of video clips for films and movies. In addition, free mobile phone and tablet apps and websites also use advertising in the same way.

Often, advertising agencies may undertake research to find out which audience groups like to digest which forms of media. There are two methods of research used by advertisers – Quantative research, where questionnaires and surveys are used and data is gathered in a numerical form, and there is Qualitative Research, where interviews and focus groups are used to gather data about advertising trends.

The Thriller film genre usually attracts working class younger audiences (between ages 15 – 30), and would perhaps appeal to men more than they would women, due to some of the graphic scenes in the film. Romantic films would also appeal to working class younger audiences (between ages 15-30), but would perhaps attract more women than men. Also, Sci-Fi movies would probably attract a younger audience, perhaps children between the ages of 5 & 12, and would appeal to more boys than girls, because many boys read magazines and play games with similar characters. However, Sci-Fi films may also attract more middle aged people (aged 25-50), because many parents may accompany children to the cinema. 

Analysing Shutter Island by Martin Scorsese

 The Film ‘Shutter Island’ fits into many of the conventions of a modern thriller.

The target audience is older teenagers and adults, as the certificate rating is a 15. The film would appeal to predominantly males, due to the horrific nature of some of the scenes in the film, although it would be entertaining for both genders.

In the film, the protagonist, Teddy Daniels, is a detective, who is just coming to terms with the death of his wife. He is also on a quest to try and find a woman, who is missing from a high security prison on a secluded island in the US.

Some elements of the film are realistic, as they could happen in real life. For example, they arrive to the island on a boat, which is something that could easily happen in real life. They also carry guns, which is something many American detectives do.  

The theme of justice is something that is present in a lot of thriller films, and throughout Shutter Island, there is a desire for justice, and to find out what has happened to the woman who has gone missing.

The mysterious start to the film also makes it like a typical thriller – first frame shows just a grey frame, which makes the audience wonder what it might develop into – cloud, fog or sea. In addition,  flashbacks are also used, although the flashbacks are quite short, making the audience wonder what was happening in the flashback, and how that may affect the overall outcome of the film.  At one point at the beginning of the film, the flashback creates a contrast between the grey/blue of the sky, ship and sea that the scene is set on, and the colourful blouse and setting of the flashback.

Later on, a flashback to Marshal in the army is triggered by the music playing. The music increased in tempo, as a gun is kicked away from someone bleeding, gives the audience a very different view of what Marshal is like. Before, the audience may have thought that he is a caring man, but we are now shown that he let someone bleed to death.

There is a lot of atmospheric music used in the film, which creates the feeling of tension. For example, when the two detectives are arriving on the island, orchestral music, gathering in tempo, is used, creating the feeling of tension and that at some point, a large event in the film will happen. This helps to keep the attention of the audience, as the audience want to find out how the film will develop from this point.

In addition, a lot of diegetic sound is used in the film, which is something the director, Martin Scorsese, does often. For example, when the door of one of the prison cells is slammed, a banging sound is heard. This emphasises to the audience that the characters are in a place of danger, and can also make the audience feel scared and apprehensive.

The types of shot used in the film are also in-keeping with the thriller genre. A lot of close up facial shots are used in the film, which allow the audience to see the full facial expressions of the actor. There are also a lot of over-the-shoulder shots used, which allow the audience to see the person speaking, whilst also seeing the reactions of the person being spoken to.

At one point in the film, when the detectives are being driven to the prison, the shot pans round from the characters in the car, to a gravestone. This indicates to the audience that people have died where the characters are going, which could make the audience feel scared.  A few moments later, when the car arrives at the prison gate, a point of view shot is shown through a barbed wire. This is almost like the audience are looking over the prison wall trying to escape, again, making the audience feel intimidated.

When the detectives are interviewing the nurses, an upward angle long shot is used. This allows us to see part of the nurses heads (indicating that we are at their level), but the upward angle makes the detective seem in a position of power and authority.

The props used also create the feeling of fear within the audience. The detectives are seen wearing a grey top hat with brown overcoats and a cigar, which paints the stereotypic image of what a detective looks like.

When the detectives arrive on the island, we are shown a scene where a police officer instructs them to hand in their guns. This shows to the audience that they are in a very dangerous place without any protection, again, adding to the fear of the film.

At one point, we are shown inside the cell of the woman who has gone missing. The cell is dimly lit, the walls are painted grey, there are small high-up windows with bars, and there is a cold concrete floor, which creates quite a depressing scene for the audience. In the room, there is nothing more than a small metal bed, and we are told that the inmates get only two pairs of shoes. Again, this scene tells the audience that the characters are in a very dangerous place, and may make the audience fear for the safety of the detectives.

 

 

Before the detectives interview the nurses at the prison, we are shown outside where people are hunting for the missing woman. Outside, it is raining, the sky and rocks are all very grey, and it is getting dark. This stereotypically depressing image tells the audience that a dangerous event could potentially happen. 

Above: the official Trailer for the film Shutter Island.

Camera Shots

Long Shot - Subject takes up almost the full height of the frame.

Mid Shot - Shows some part of the shot in more detail, whilst still giving the audience enough information.

Close Up Shot - get closer to the object - usually showing the face with humans.

Extreme Close Up - getting right up close to the object - perhaps showing the eyes of humans.

Cut Away Shot - Shows something different than the current action. For example, when a news interview is underway, the shot might show the interviewer nodding instead of the person being interview.

Point of View Shot - shows the point of view of the character, taken from eye level.

Low Angle Shot - looking up at the subject, giving the sense of size, power & authority.

High Angle Shot - taken from above, looking down at the subject, making the subject seem small and inferior.

Pan Shot - camera moves from Left to Right or Right to Left, taken on a tripod.

Tracking Shot - the camera moves on a dolly to follow the subject, giving a sense of speed.

Tilt Shot - camera pans up/down giving a sense of height.

Canted angle shot - shows the subject, but at an angle, giving the sense of chaos or insanity.

Camera zooms in/out - shows details, or can give a sense of size or scale.

Handheld Shot - camera moves with the action.

Crane shot - high angle show, lookign down.

Aeriel shot - filmed from a helicopter or plane.

Film Analysation: Shutter Island, Martin Scorsese

The target audience is older teenagers and adults, as the certificate rating is a 15. The film would appeal to predominantly males, although it would be entertaining for both genders.

Mysterious start to the film makes it like a typical thriller – first frame shows nothing. Flashbacks are also used, which creates contrast between the present time, where everything is rather grey/blue at sea, and the past, where the girls blouse is quite colourful, and the scene appears happier.

Want to know more – mysterious opening and the eerie music make the viewer want to know how the film will develop

The music, setting and actors bring about the feeling of fear in the audience.

The audience may want to find out the significance of the death of the Protagonist’s wife.

The clothing used (overcoats and top hats) sets the scene to be quite depressing, giving the audience the impression that this is not a normal.

Rather depressing background music is used, creating the atmosphere of tension, and making the audience intrigued as to what is happening/has happened in the scene.

We are told that there is only one way on and off of the island, and we are told that the boat is leaving straight away, and the arrival of a storm means that they cannot leave soon.

A shot of a gravestone indicates death, and that something bad is going to happen.

The shot of the car carrying policemen is shown through barbed wire, meaning that the people inside want to escape because they are dangerous. This makes the audience feel scared.

The guards also carry guns, because of the danger of the people on the island. This builds up tension, as the protagonist approaches the island.

Point of View shots lets the audience experience what the actors are experiencing. The upward angle makes the prison gates feel imposing.  

Once on the island, tension music suddenly stops, making the words being said by the guard more significant.

Shown contrast between Male & Female building, and then to the high security area which looks dark and depressing. The main characters are told that they are not allowed to enter this building, but this gives the impression to the audience that this is somewhere they will probably go to later on in the film.

There are five police officers for the two main characters, Teddy and Chuck, adding to the feel of high security.

Extreme long shot of island shows that it is isolated, and the lighting mans that the left hand side of the island is missing, indicating that the island is a strange place.

 

Above: The official 'Shutter Island' trailer. 

Thriller Sub-Genres

Thriller Sub-Genres - Prezi

Director Profile: Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese - November 17th, 1942 - Present

 

Martin Scorsese has directed a total of 46 films to date, with his first film, Vesuvius VI, being released in 1959. Since then, he has gone on to direct many films, including The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Hugo (2011), Public Speaking (2010), Shutter Island (2010), The Aviator (2004) and Casino (1995).

In addition to this, Martin has also starred as an actor in 24 films, including The Aviator (2004), Shark Tale (2004), and After Hours (1985). He has also produced 36 films, and written 12 films.

Most of the films Scorsese has directed are Thrillers or action movies, mostly link to crime and Mystery. However, Public Speaking was a feature- length documentary, starring Fran Lebowitz. In addition, Scorsese has often worked with the actor Leonardo DiCaprio, and DiCaprio features in many of his films.

Scorsese’s films often begin with segments from the beginning or end of the film, creating a flash-forward, giving the audience an idea of how the film may develop.

Some of his films also use slow motion techniques, which helps the audience to bring things into perspective.

 

 

His films often use diegetic music, and music from bands such as ‘The Rolling Stones’ has featured on several occasions. In addition, long tracking shots are something viewers can also expect from his films.

Above: a clip from Scorsese's film 'Shutter Island'

Research on The Thriller Genre

There are many different conventions that are commonly used in the thriller genre. Often the plots result in serious injury of death to characters, although characters often recover from any injuries, or come back to life in some way. 

Often in thrillers, there is some narration at the beginning of the film, perhaps to set the scene and introduce characters, but this is not continued throughout the main body of the film. Also, narration is occasionally re-introduced at the end of the film, to give the impression that the plot has travelled ‘full circle’ back to where it set off in the beginning. 

 

Thriller films are usually set in cities or other built up areas, because this gives the impression of the action interfering with everyday life. For example, this allows the characters to chase up and down the streets getting in the way of everyday people, or perhaps allowing a car chase to take place, again weaving in and out of other people. 

 

The main roles in the film are usually either male or female. Quite often, there is an element of the two main characters being against each other, and the audience is encouraged to take sides with one of them, meaning that a hero and villain situation is formed.  

Quite often, such films are set in offices or in homes, meaning that a wide range of props are required in order to make the set realistic.  

The cameras often pan on certain characters, particularly at the beginning of the films. There are often wide shots, with a certain character doing something in the centre of the shot, instead of a tight shot showing a close up of the actor. The shots are usually edited to jump quickly between shots, giving the impression of fast-moving action work.  

Also, shots, which move erratically side to side, are often taken in sepia, with a viewfinder over-layed in the edit, giving the impression that the audience are looking through the viewfinder of a gun.  

There is often background music playing at key points in the film, which is used to create an atmosphere of tension. Also, sound effects are often used to reinforce the sounds that occur when filming (i.e: added gunshot sound or explosions). This often sounds particularly impressive in cinemas, where surround sound systems are in place.  

Dim lighting is also used often in thrillers, to create an impression that the characters cannot control the situation. For example, a gun fight or battle would often take place in a dimly-lit area, instead of in broad daylight. The use of low or dim lighting also creates an atmosphere of tension for the audience.

 

Photographs or common objects are also used in thrillers, as this gives the impression that the character looking at the object is looking back into history. Photographs are often used to spark memories in the mind of the character, which then perhaps leads to a revelation, or making something else happen in the movie. For example, in The Bourne Identity, Jason Bourne finds a passport, which he assumes to be his identity, meaning that he then goes on the run, shaping the rest of the movie. 

In addition, there are also lots of flashbacks in movies, which take the actor back to a certain significant point in time. Flashbacks are often used at the opening of movies, to a point in time not shown in the movie, which gives important details to the audience. They are also often used towards the end of the movie, perhaps taking the character back to the beginning of the movie, reminding the audience of what happened then. 

Mirrors, or reflective surfaces, are often used in thriller movies. Quite often, the camera shot is taken from behind the person, so that the audience can see both the back of the person and the reflected image of the front of the person in one shot. However, the shot is often edited to show a different image in the mirror, suggesting that the character has a cloned or duplicated identity, or perhaps taking the person back in time, showing the character at a younger age.  

Analysing the film 'The Bourne Identity'

The Bourne Trilogy is a series of three films, which include The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Trilogy and The Bourne Ultimatum – all three starring the character Jason Bourne. I decided to research The Bourne Identity. A man is found in by an Italian fishing crew unconscious in the Mediterranean sea. When the man awakes, he knows nothing about his identity, other than an account number to a deposit box. Using this information, the man travels to Switzerland and accesses a bank account.

It is here that he discovers he is able to speak German, and also that he is good at combat. It is from here that he assumes the identity of Jason Bourne. His adventures then take him around the world, first fleeing to Paris to evade capture, where he believes his home is. It is then revealed by the CIA that Bourne was involved with an assassination attempt of an African Dictator. Later on in the film, the revelation triggers Bourne’s memory, and Bourne remembers that he did not kill the Dictator, because his children were present, giving up on the mission and being shot by the Dictator, Nykwana Wombosi, leading to the Italian fishermen finding him unconscious in the sea at the beginning of the film.  From the start of this film, it is evident that the film has been edited to show lots of quick-moving shots, which suggests to the audience that action is present from the outset. In the film, fast –paced background music has been added to create the impression of tension in the film. The characters are often motivated by money, something many people can relate to, which encourages the audience to feel involved with the plot of the film.

There are often close-up shots of the main characters in the film, taken at key points in the plot, makes the audience feel involved with the action, adding to the suspense felt and overall enjoyment. Examples of such shots can be found in the screen grab aynalisation below. Unlike normal films, where we can sometimes expect that characters to have physical defects, but in this film, the character has mental and memory defects, which perhaps would encourage people to want to watch this film.

 

 

This shot shows one of the main characters Jason Bourne. A close-up shot has been used by the camera, which puts makes the audience feel more involved with the action of the film. The camera is pointing back at Jason as he prepares to shoot his gun, and this camera work makes the audience feel that they are being shot at.

The earpiece that is present in Jason’s ear suggests that he is involved in some sort of larger operation as a spy or secret agent, which further suggests to the audience that Bourne is experienced in doing this sort of thing.

 

This shot shows Jason Bourne trying to climb the side of a building. This sort of action is something that we see lots of in films from the thriller genre, as it portrays the image of him being in danger. This shot is taken from the left hand side of the character, which is particularly significant for two reasons. Firstly, it shows that Bourne is only gripping to a small window ledge, which makes his life seem very fragile and insecure, because the audience may think that he can fall at any moment. Secondly, the shot allows us to see the white building in the background, which appears to be some sort of tall building. The presence of this gives the audience a feeling of how high Bourne is at this point in time, again making Bourne’s life seem very fragile. The shot is then edited to show part of the metal platform below him breaking, which again gives the audience an impression that Bourne’s life may be in danger.
The next shot shows Jason Bourne on the telephone. It shows that he is probably in a home or a flat, because Jason looks fairly dressed down, and the shelving units behind him also support this. The facial expressions on Bourne’s face suggest that he has just received some shocking or upsetting news that he did not expect to hear. The facial expressions also suggest that he may have to take some sort of action as a result of the call. The lighting used in this shot sets quite a dull atmosphere, which perhaps indicates that the show was taken in the evening or late at night instead of in the daytime, where we would expect the lighting to be much brighter.
This is an interesting shot of John Bourne biking. In the background, we can see that John is in a city setting, with cars and high-rise buildings behind him. This shot has been edited so that Bourne is shown in focus, whilst the goings on in the background are out of focus, creating the impression that he is the centre of attention in this shot. The facial expressions in the shot suggest that John is absent-minded, and is perhaps focusing on a task other than riding his bicycle. Whilst this is going on, however, lots of other people are focusing on their jobs all around Bourne, and life carries on as normal.

This shot shows Jason Bourne in the passenger seat of a car, being driven somewhere by a female friend. We are given the impression that the car is being driven quite fast, because the hedgerow that can be seen through the car windows is quite blurred, giving the impression of speed. Also, the expression on the drivers face leads us to think that she is deep in concentration on the task of driving the vehicle. Bourne, who is in the passenger seat, seems to have a heightened state of awareness, as he is sitting forward in his seat. He appears to be saying something as his mouth is open, and he perhaps is encouraging the driver to drive faster. 

Analysing Film Posters

The poster to the right is for the film ‘The Bourne Identity’. The two lines running vertically and horizontally suggest a viewfinder from a gun, whilst the view of the Eiffel Tower in France suggests where the film is set. Also, the overlay of the main character, Jason Bourne, suggests his involvement with the film. The poster uses minimal amounts of text, which draws the attention of the audience towards the poster. It would also encourage people to use other forms of media, such as the internet, to find out more about the film.

 

The poster to the left is for the movie Constantine. The poster is predominantly black, but with a white object in the middle. At first, it is unclear what the white object is, which would make anyone seeing the poster want to find out more about what it is. It appears to be a shaft of light, with the outline of a man to the right of the light. There is very little text on the poster, although the title of the film is towards the top of the poster, and the credits are at the bottom in grey, meaning that they do not appear clearly. This poster also shows the date that the film goes is released, which would want to make the audience go and watch the film.

 

The poster to the  left, advertising the movie ‘Nothing to Lose’, is different from the other two posters I have looked at, as the poster is quite busy. The outline of the face of a character at the top contrasts well with the black background, bringing it to the audience’s attention. The camera appears to be looking down, into the camera and onto the title, which gives the impression that the character is important. The character also appears to be looking onto the castle, giving the impression that the castle is haunted. This poster also includes the words ‘Academy Awards Winner 2009’, which shows off the film to its full potential, and tells the audience that the film comes well recommended. The poster also shows a star rating, again selling the film well.

The poster to the left is for the film Helten. The background of the poster has been made using computer animation, which gives the impression that the film is related to a video game. The title of the film is represented using squares from the game scrabble, which again, adds to the idea that the film could be about some sort of game. The words ‘This Summer’ at the bottom of the poster give the impression to the audience that this is the ‘must see’ film of the summer, which would add to the amount of people viewing the film. The character shown appears to be walking towards the audience, and the shot is taken from a low angle, giving the impression of importance and dominance of that character.