Research task by Jess Mainwaring

Key:
Camera
Mise en scene
Sound
Editing

Zodiac

The thriller opening begins with an establishing shot and non-diegetic sound. There is a cut to a scene where the character appears to be in a car which is driving along a street as you can see a series of houses pass by through the car window. The lighting is very dark which is suitable iconography for a thriller opening, however at this point in the sequence it isn't clear that it's a thriller as the film language hasn't yet constructed meaning, character, story and mood. The car stops outside a house where we are introduced to the first character. The character is male and various aspects of his clothing are dark however his costume as a whole doesn't suggest that he is a protagonist.

He runs over to the car (MS) and the two characters exchange dialogue (on-screen diegetic sound). There is a shot/reverse shot between them which allows us to view the female character. She supports the femininity stereotype as she has blonde hair, is wearing makeup, attractive, and her clothing is suited for a female stereotype. Her body language could be portrayed as provocative and sexual as she is inviting the male character to join her in the car.











The camera pans the car as it drives away and there is a cut to the male and female characters approaching a restaurant, the non-diegetic sound is replaced by diegetic sound such as foley sounds of car horns beeping as the environment they're in becomes busier. The female character seems to become uneasy and uncomfortable through her body language and facial expression whilst driving through the restaurant car park which creates the mood appropriate for a thriller text as it builds enigma for the spectator as they wonder what is suddenly wrong with her. The scene cuts to the car pulling into a very isolated and dark setting. This is an appropriate setting for a thriller genre because it gives a sense of a spooky atmosphere and hints that something sinister could happen here as its very quiet with no one else around.
 










Diegetic sound of music in the car is playing, and the characters exchange more dialogue where the male character says to the female character "You seem weird", and there is a shot/reverse shot sequence. This constructs an appropriate mood for a thriller text as the female character isn't acting normal by pulling up in a dark, isolated setting and the male characters facial expression looks confused and slightly scared. There is a cut to two other cars nearby and there's diegetic-sound coming from them. The fact that there are other people create suspense and a sense that something sinister could happen which builds to the enigma and leaves the spectator waiting for something to happen.









The female character is portrayed quite provocatively through her body language as she is touching the male character in a flirtatious manor. This is another stereotype of women being over-sexualised. The fact that the male character is acting uncomfortable towards the female characters behavior suggests that she is not acting normally, changing the mood and atmosphere for the spectator as they can sense that there is a reason for her odd behavior, building enigma.









Suddenly, fire works appear at the car window with on-screen diegetic foley sound to go with it, making both the characters and the spectators jump. This is appropriate in thriller sequences to create the mood and to shock and surprise the spectator as they don't know it's coming.










The male character's facial expression is shocked and angry and he shouts abuse at the people in the cars (on-screen diegetic sound) which leaves the spectator fearing for the male character that the group of people who set the firework off will retaliate, building suspense; however they drive off and the characters laugh together (on-screen diegetic sound). There is an eye line match from the female character to an approaching car which drives towards them and stops.


















There is a 2 shot of the characters looking over at the car and their facial expressions are very scared, however there is no movement from it which creates enigma - reinforcing the thriller genre. The car is black and the lighting/setting is very dark also.










The car drives off and the male and female character watch it, the females facial expression is worried and from the dialogue between them it seems that the female character knows who was in the car; judging from her facial expression whoever they are it's not a good thing that they are there, possibly a protagonist. This hints to the spectator that something bad will happen and outlines the fact that it is a thriller, suiting the mood. There is diegetic foley sound of car wheels skidding, suggesting that the car is approaching again. In the back of the frame the camera pans the car as it becomes closer to the male and female character and they become edgy which builds tension as you know something bad is going to happen. There is a crescendo in the music (non-diegetic sound) and the lighting becomes brighter, shining directly onto the characters as the possible protagonist gets out of the car and approaches there's and the tension builds as they don't drive away quick enough.










Suddenly there is a gun shot and the male character has blood shooting out of him, which is suitable iconography for the thriller genre. This is an example of one of the continuity editing techniques - match on action. There is an OTS shot of the male character and the character holding the gun in the background of the frame - it is now clear that they're the protagonist. There is shallow depth of field used as the focus is on the male character and the reaction to the shooting rather than the gun and there is restricted narration as all that's visible is the protagonist's arm.










The female character's facial expression is shocked before getting shot straight after, and there is a POV shot of the gun facing her. The male and female characters body language become slouched from the force of the bullet, and there is blood splattered all over the characters and the interior of the car. This is jumpy for the spectator as the gun is only seen after its been fired, building mystery and enigma.
































There is a crescendo and a MS of the protagonist and he is male, wearing dark clothing and dark gloves, which is also appropriate iconography of the thriller genre and suits the protagonist. As he walks away the lighting fades, making the setting darker again, and as a spectator you think he's gone however he walks back over to the car of the male and female characters, holding the gun. There is a LS where you can see the protagonist and the characters in the car all in the frame and there is on-screen diegetic foley sound as he shoots at them again.











There is a fade to black to symbolize a death, and a diminuendo as the music (non--diegetic sound) dies down and stops.










It cuts to the scene of the murder and a LS of the male character sitting on the floor, up against the car and it's at a low angel.











There is diegetic sound of a phone ringing and someone reporting the homicides and the camera pans the police officer walking round the car where we see a MS of the female character dead in the car.











This opening works as a thriller because it includes the conventions needed for the thriller genre to work, such a iconography. Suitable iconography has been used in this opening of 'Zodiac', such a guns and blood. Also, elements of mise en scene such as dark lighting/coloring and dark, isolated settings have been used to create the atmosphere and mood for a thriller. Other elements such as facial expression, and body language with the use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound have been used to build enigma for the spectator through-out the opening. Characterization was used well in this opening to conduct a thriller because it contains a archetype, protagonist, and antagonist with use of spectator positioning. The female character in this suits the femininity stereotype which is presented through her costume, hair, make-up, and body language. Zodiac appeals to a target audience of 17-25, male or female due to the use of characters. The characters look around that age range, making it easier for the spectator to relate to them.

Silence Of The Lambs

The thriller opening begins with an establishing shot of the landscape which is of a tree, it's clear that the camera is of a very high angle however it is eye-level with the tree. From the setting you can see that  its winter and snowy, and there is very little colouring. Non-diegetic sound (music) plays and there are diegetic sounds of birds. The camera tilts down to give the spectator a clearing understanding of the setting; which appears to be a forest. The lighting is dark and the atmosphere looks foggy and misty, all iconography which suits the thriller genre. We are introduced with a female character (ELS) and the camera tracks her as she gets closer towards the camera going from ELS to  MS. The female characters body language is slouched as she pulls herself up with a rope.









From the female characters body language, costume, hair, and makeup she opposes the femininity stereotype. She has dark, tied up hair, dark baggy clothing and minimal/no make-up - this contradicts the stereotype of what it means to be female as does her level of running which shows that she is energetic and lively unlike the stereotypical reserved female. There is on-screen diegetic sound of her heavy breathing as she attempts to catch her breath however her facial expression looks determined to continue running.













The camera tracks her from behind as she runs through the forest where there's diegetic sound of her shoes crunching against the leaves as she becomes further away from the camera and smaller in the frame (ELS).












The scene cuts to MS and the camera is now tracking the female character from the front. She looks very sweaty, and her hairy is messy which again opposes the femininity stereotype. Due to the setting fitting the thriller genre, there is a sense of enigma when the character is running through the woods that something could happen to her, however it isn't clear if she's a protagonist or antagonist, if either. There is a cut and the camera pans her as she continues to run through the woods looking very determined and out of breath, the trees quickly going past her to give a sense of pace.














It cuts to a high angel CU of the lower part of her body where only her shoes which are trainers which support my previous point of her opposing the femininity stereotype and the bottom of her legs are in view and then cuts to a CU of her face at eye level before beginning to track her from behind again (MS). As the female character approaches an obstacle to get past, she climbs over it again opposing the feminist stereotype and the camera pans her as she does this, before breaking the 180% rule to show her on the opposite side. Her determination to continue running and the consistency of it builds enigma and mystery as it leaves the spectator wondering what she is running from - spectator positioning.














The female character runs further from the camera and becomes smaller in the frame (ELS) when a male character appears and they exchange dialogue (on-screen diegetic sound). The male character is older than the female character and is wearing a bright yellow vest and a cap saying 'FBI', informing us on his occupation amongst dark clothing. As the female character runs off, the male character watches her (CU) and his facial expression looks concerned which leaves the spectator fearing for the female character, enforcing enigma.














The scene cuts to a low angle of a tree and the camera tilts down. As it tilts, it passes the middle of the tree which has 'HURT' 'PAIN' 'AGONY' written on it. This hints to the spectator that where the female character is heading, something bad is possibly going to happen and builds suspense and tension, creating the mood and atmosphere needed for a thriller. It also creates spectator positioning as it leaves them wondereing where she is going, and what will happen there.

As the camera stops tilting and reaches the bottom of the tree, the female character runs past the tree and the camera pans her and she runs into a building (ELS)

Seven

The non-diegetic sound (music) automatically conducts a thriller mood and atmosphere because it has a spooky feel to it. The opening scene is titles of the film credits and the font is editing in a spooky way, presented in way to conduct that it is a thriller. Also, the background is black and the titles are white which conveys a thriller.






There is a transition to a drawing of two hands, with a red line down the middle of them - the colour red signifies death which is an inevitable event to happen in thriller films. The hands presented in the drawing are very dark, veiny and knobbly designed to scare, suitable iconography for a thriller.














There is non-diegetic foley sound of floorboards creaking, and a cut of a hand holding a metal tool (ECU) with non-diegetic sound of tools turning. There are a series of cuts of different metal tools, which is also appropriate iconography for the thriller genre and is designed to scare the spectator and construct the mood appropriate.

There is a cut to an ECU of a fingers holding a metal blade, with dark lighting and shallow depth of field where the focus is on the blade. This is a good technique for a thriller as it hints to the spectator what's in store for the rest of the film. As this is presented, there is non-diegetic sound of a noise designed to scare as it is increased in sound compared to the non-diegetic sound of the music, and there is non-diegetic sound which sound like screams.











The sequence continues in a continuous pattern, with series of cuts of spooky scenes, and then to the titles and non-diegetic sound of creaking, and spooky music. There is a cut to a scene where there is a lot of red colouring, a colour often used in many thriller, along with black and white which is also used a lot in this opening of 'Seven'.











There is no introduction of any characters, therefore there is no protagonists or antagonists displayed, meaning no binary opposition however there is a BCU of hands cutting a picture of a young child. This creates enigma, building tension for the spectator as it's the first sign of a possible story or meaning to the thriller. Also, on one of the fingers shown there is a plaster wrapped round it which suggests that he is injured, however its restricted narration therefore as a spectator we cannot view how badly injured. This foreshadows that later in the film there will be violence and characters will get hurt. The hand in the series of shots is the same one through-out, implying that it could be the main character/protagonist/antagonist.












There is a cut to  black and white shot of a CU of a picture of somebody, with only their head in the frame. This builds enigma because it leaves the spectator guessing who this person is and whether they're a victim or what their role is in the film.











A shot of paper is shown with blood splattered on it, which is perfect iconography to convey a thriller. Blood suggests death, largely seen in thrillers therefore the film language is suitable in constructing the mood appropriate for a thriller.
















There' a cut to a shot of a book turning, the shot is in black and white with highly dark lighting therefore the shadow of  hand is shown on the page to give a eerie feel, commonly used in thrillers.












A shot is shown of a black pen, crossing words out on the page of the paper so that it is not visible, where a silhouette of the pen is shown over the page to create a spooky atmosphere. This builds suspense as it leaves the spectator wondering what the meaning of doing that is and what is being hidden.











There is a graphic match as the pen is shown drawing over a picture of a mans eyes - symbolising a blind fold. This is also good iconography used in thrillers as it builds tension for the spectator and excitement as it leaves the character more helpless than the one in power. It cuts to a shot where the man in the pictures face is completely scribbled out by the black pen, and the back ground around him is red. This could signify the death of him or hint to the spectator that death will take place throughout the film as red signifies blood. There is a crescendo as this happens and the music (non-diegetic sound) becomes louder.

The opening sequence continues with many different shots consisting of red, black and white colours and the book. This suggests that the book presented through-out the opening is significant to the film as a whole, as are the pictures being used in it. There is a dissolve to a shot of picture of  somebody with a sharp tool going into the back of their head - this is very gruesome which is the right effect for a thriller genre.















The pace of the shots are very fast to create enigma, changing with the use of dissolve and graphic matches. Many of the shots are of sharp nails and tools, which could be to construct the story of the film or just to set the mood appropriate for a thriller.










The non-diegetic sound of the music changes and there is another crescendo. In one of the shots, the hand is seen binding the pages together, which supports my previous point that the book has relevance to the story of the film and is significant. The sequence ends with an establishing shot.

Shutter Island

The sequence opens with non-diegetic sound of waves crashing and a horn. The shot begins with a fade to white, suggesting that it could be a flashback and suddenly a boat appears on the sea (LS) with its composition in the centre of  the frame.

There is a cut and we are introduced to our first character. The character is male and he is dressed in dark clothing, which could suggest that he is a protagonist - however he is wearing a suit with a white shirt and his tie has colour in it, this shows his higher class. He is looking in the mirror and his facial expression looks week and disgusted as he has just vomited in the toilet. There is dialogue (on-screen diegetic sound) as he talks to himself. The character has a plaster on his forehead, which tells the spectator that he has been injured in some way - suggesting violence. This supports the thriller genre has violence is essential to it, however there are no sign of whether he is the antagonist or the protagonist.













His body language is slouched as he leans to be sick again, however he doesn't. This could be due to the fact that he is on a boat and could get sea-sick, or that he is nervous about something that will happen in the film building enigma. The lighting is dim which works well with the thriller genre and the setting is quite dark and mysterious as we have no idea why he is on this boat, and where it is heading. This causes spectator positioning, and also builds tension and suspense for the spectator. His facial expression looks distressed as he straightens himself up (body language) and attempts to pull himself together.













The scene cuts to a CU of the male character looking out the window of the boat, where we see the setting of the blue sea. This reminds us that he is on a boat, and therefore has nowhere to run to if necessary. This builds enigma and supports the thriller genre.












There is diegetic sound of the male characters heavy breathing which reinforces my point of him being distressed, and he washes his face with water where there is on-screen diegetic sound of the tap running and the water against his face. There is a cut to a CU of his face in the middle of a frame with the top of his head cut off. There is shallow depth of field as the focus is on his face, which looks scary and troubled - as if he is going to do something bad. Also, his eyes look fierce. His behaviour makes you wonder what has happened for him to be reacting this way about, and builds mystery.












There is a cut to a different setting of another room on the boat, where there are a variety of metal tools hanging down, this works well with a thriller text as it leaves the spectator wondering what the purpose of the tools are - will they be used in a harmful way? Also, there is diegetic foley sound of the tools clashing together.










There is a ELS of the male character in the door frame, putting on his dark coloured coat and the camera pans him from behind as he approaches the deck of the boat outside and cuts to a MS of him from in front. He is now wearing a hat, making him look smart.













There is an eyeline match as we are introduced to our second male character as there is a ELS of him from behind. The scene then cuts to a shot of the first male characters face and he looks anxious as he stares at him, building enigma as we wonder who that character is, and whether he is the antagonist or protagonist? And what the relationship is like between the two? The first male character walks over to the second male character, and there is a 2 shot of them standing on the boat. Shallow depth of field is used as the focus is on them, however you can see the setting of the blurry sea in the background of the frame. The second male character is also dressed smartly, very similarly dressed to the first male character - both in hats and suits (dark clothing). There is a ELS of them from behind and their composition in the frame is central.











They exchange dialogue (on-screen diegetic sound) and the shots are mostly MS where it changes to CU and there is use of shallow depth of field as the focus is on the first male character, with the other character slightly blurred in the background of the frame.












There is a cut to a flashback between the first male character and a female character. The female supports the femininity stereotype as she is attractive, has blonde curly hair, lovely make-up and is wearing a colourful girly dress. She is trying to put the tie on the male character which also supports the femininity stereotype of the housewife, as the women would do everything for the men. There is a 2 shot of them, their facial expressions both happy. There is no diegetic sound coming from the flashback, only non-diegetic sound of music (possibly a women singing) which began in time with the flashback, creating a spooky atmosphere. There is a cut to a shot (CU) of their feet, and the female character is wearing red nail varnish - red signifies love however also danger. This causes spectator positioning as they wonder who this female character is, what her purpose is, whether she is a antagonist or protagonist?












There is a OTS CU shot of the female character, and her facial expression is very happy as she is smiling. This creates mystery and suspense needed for a thriller because it leaves the spectator wondering what has happened to the female character. There is a sudden cut a shot of the waves crashing where the diegetic sound of the waves begin again, and a cut back to the female character smiling. This creates a spooky feel for the spectator which is the purpose of a thriller.










The scene cuts again to a CU of the first male character, where he exchanges dialogue (on-screen diegetic sound) which the other male character and explains that his wife (the female character) died. His facial expression looks troubled as he says this, creating empathy for him and his head lowers as he speaks about it, showing that he is uncomfortable.






















The creepy music (non-diegetic sound) played with the flashback of the male character and his wife created an eerie atmosphere and supports the fact that she is now dead, leaving the spectator on edge. The flashback was intended to give the spectator a better understanding of the loving relationship they shared in order for us to feel his pain of her loss and feel empathy towards him. This also gives the spectator a better understanding and insight into the story line, however much of it is still unknown and untold therefore creating mystery and enigma - vital for a thriller. There is 2 shot MS of the male characters and they are both smoking a cigarette - a prop often used in thrillers to signify the protagonist. This does not give much away to the spectator as they could both be the protagonist, if either. The lighting isn't overly dark however it is fairly dim, with dark clouds which support the thriller genre.

The scene cuts to a ELS of an island of where the boat is heading, it is composed in the centre of the frame and is a POV shot. The left side of the island has darker lighting than the right, with dark clouds over-looking it - creating a contrast between them of the idea of the 'good side' and the 'dark side'.  This leaves a sense of mystery and leaves the spectator intrigued and wondering about the island and which side the characters will be on. Due to the fact that it is a thriller, probably the dark side. There is a shot/reverse shot sequence between the characters and the island. As the boat edges further towards the island, diegetic sound of the boats horns begin again however louder and more frequently. This creates enigma and gives a sense of disaster about the island - it's as if it's intended to hint at the spectator that bad things will happen on the island through-out the film.










There is a cut to a shot of the male characters again, however this time there is a third male character introduced. He appears to be older than the others, and is wearing a uniform suited to working on the boat. There is dialogue (on-screen diegetic sound) between the three characters as the third male character explains the island.












The closer they become to approaching the island, the non diegetic sound (music) becomes deeper and louder, which creates a terrifying atmosphere for the spectator - an appropriate mood for a thriller. This again signifies the fact that something sinister will happen on the island. There is an eyeline match of the first male character and the island that they are near to approaching, and there is a crescendo. The camera pans the two male characters as they exit the boat and approach the shore, accompanied by two male characters who appear to be in police uniforms. This creates enigma and spectator positioning as it leaves the spectator thinking why they need the police there already? The male characters are greeted by more of the policeman, who are holding guns which is suitable iconography for a thriller. Their facial expressions look angry and unimpressed as they watch the two male characters who look edgy and uncomfortable.