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Analysis of 'Witness'

How Peter Weir Utilises Generic Conventions in a Clip from ‘Witness’

Scene: Sam watches the murder of a policeman in Grand Central Station toilets in New York.

Before Sam arrives in New York he is discovering the modern world, as he has been brought up in an Amish community. This is the first time he has left his village and he is very excited. The modern world appears corrupted and the Amish community innocent; this theme continues throughout the film.  

Once in Grand Central Station he goes to the toilet and the cubicle is claustrophobic. This is a classic convention to be used in a thriller as it creates a sense of fear for the character.

There is not much movement when the policeman is being killed as lots of close ups are used. This creates suspense for the audience because although they can see the man is being killed they don’t know how and who by.

Finally, there is a high angle shot of the police car driving in the dark down the wet street. This is when Sam is being taken to the police station. The headlights reflect of the wet pavement and this makes it quite difficult for the audience to see the location of where the car is.

Murder Scene in ‘Witness’

Analysis of 'Essex Boys'

Director: Terry Windsor

Filmed: 2000

Essex Boys is a dark thriller inspired by a single true event.

The opening starts with diagetic sound with a door opening. There is a use of chiaroscuro lighting and this is generic to dark thrillers so it immediately establishes the genre of the film.

The garage is confined, unglamorous and dusty. The audience sees this through the boy’s eyes. The car in the garage is old and obviously hasn’t been used for a long while as it is covered in cobwebs. Once the car has been started and the window wipers move across the screen to clear the grime the audience can see there is a man standing in the garage doorway waiting for the car. You cannot tell who the man is or whether he is good or bad. There is lots of zoom used to create emphasis on certain things. Also, the non-diagetic speech (voice over/narrative) gives the scene a sense of solidarity and loneliness even though there are two men in the scene.

As the car is travelling through the tunnel you get a first glimpse of the setting of the film. Its monochrome in colour and the streets are wet. The point of view shot places the audience in the scene and shows a barrel of gin lying in the tunnel. The vertical lights on the window screen when the car is travelling through the tunnel are like prison bars. This could indicate a hidden past of one of the men in the car. The “Welcome to Essex” sign is bleak and doesn’t set a good tone for the area.

Once out on the marsh, behind the white van, the director has used vanishing points to create a sense of isolation. The location is bleak and featureless. This reflects the helplessness of the man who has been abducted and left out on the marsh.

This is the opening scene from Essex Boys.

Analysis of 'Once Upon a Time in America'

How does Sergio Leoni Use Noir Characteristics, the Representation of Femme Fatales and other Thriller Conventions to Create Suspense?

The first signifier is the anthem ‘God Bless America’; it is played at low volume in the background of the opening scene. The soundtrack is ironic because it’s a critical comment about the USA. The first character that is shown in the film is a femme fatale, this sets the thriller theme. There are lots of close up shots used in the opening; this gives a sense of emotion to the audience and also the actors’ expressions draw the audience into the action. Also, close ups create suspense as nothing else can be seen in the scene. 

The femme fatale is wearing pearls; they could have the connotation of tears. She is also wearing red nail varnish; the red could signify danger or passion. Her hat with the net partially covers her face so the audience can only see some of her face. The bedside table lamp represents her: bright and radiant. Her name is Eve. When you hear her name it even suggests things about her. It’s linked to Adam and Eve, she was a temptress, and also it connotes evening, night and dusk, all of which are dark and mysterious.

The use of zoom onto the bed indicates there is something the audience needs to look at on the bed.  As well as the use of zoom, the rule of thirds picks out other important points in the frame for the audience to focus on.

All of the bad guys are wearing the same colour clothing, like a uniform and this creates an imaginary bond between them. They are portrayed as the bad guys even though they are the police; this is because they are killing people in the film. This blurs the line between good and bad or police and gangs.

In the scene ‘Opium Visions’ there is a persistent sound: the phone ringing. It’s both diagetic and non-diagetic because it’s not within the mise-en-scene but it’s in the actors head. The ringing causes agitation with Noodles and builds up suspense, the audience want to know who is on the other end of the phone and why it isn’t being answered. There is an influence of drugs because of the opium and the audience can see that the actor is in an opium-induced dream which creates flashbacks. Then the audience realises that the phone is a soundbridge between the scene and the next.

The next scene has been set on the night of prohibition ending. Prohibition in America was when the consumption of alcohol was banned. Once into the next scene the sound of the phone adds tension because it’s the police’s phone and Noodle’s has managed to get away from the police.

The lift shaft, a couple of scenes later, is a generic setting for a thriller scene, it’s claustrophobic and the sound is all diagetic. The sound of the lift adds tension because it’s clanking and squeaking.

The use of worm’s eye point of view intrigues the audience. It’s from the perspective of the man who has been beaten up. The purpose of this is to create confusion and this connotes a surreal, dream-like, out of this world feeling. The shot is also tilted to reinforce the sense of nightmare.

Finally in one of the last scenes of the opening, there is a use of lockers. They are a generic prop to use as the audience cannot tell what has been placed inside, for example weapons or money.

This is the scene ‘Opium Visions’.

Analysis of 'Kill Bill 2' and 'The Good The Bad and The Ugly'

How Tarantino Uses The Conventions of The Thriller Genre and Intertextual References

The location he uses is isolated and an unglamorous area, this immediately makes the audience realise they are watching a thriller. The first character you see also gives away the genre of the film because he’s a hillbilly or trailer trash. He lives in a caravan in the middle of no where. Set up of the lighting also indicates that the film is going to be of the thriller genre. Its non-ambient lighting and the director also makes full use of chiaroscuro lighting. The main character is in the light but the background is dark. Also, the use of noir lighting, which translates as black lighting, embeds the theme even further. In the dark you can’t see what is happening so the audience relies on other senses such as hearing. The sound within the frame is called diagetic and the sound added after the scene has been shot is called non-diagetic. There is no dialogue in the scene and this creates suspense for the audience. They are reliant on the soundtrack and any diagetic sound. There is very little dialogue and this puts more emphasis on the action and the music. In some ways this is similar to a silent film with no dialogue and just a piano playing over the scene.

Tarantino takes some of the generic conventions of a thriller film to the limits such as: claustrophobia - when the man buries Bride alive, abuse – when Bride is shot and beaten, lighting, image and sound. The director relies on diagetic sound. It creates more of an atmosphere, for example breathing, the soil thumping on top of the coffin when the screen is black, and the car driving off – heard from under the ground. He also relies on non-diagetic sound and therefore uses a strong, powerful soundtrack. Another aspect of the film he is dependant on is the action within the scene. There are lots of close up shots of faces, hands, feet, etc. Also, the close up of the torch shows emotion which engages the audience. Lighting is also important the chiaroscuro lighting dramatises the scene more because of the lack of light. As Bride’s spirit raises when she is in the coffin so does the amount of light in the shot, this creates a sense of hope for the character. Finally, the main thing he relies on is intertextual references. He has used parts from other films such as the soundtrack and included them in his own film. The intertextual reference in Kill Bill 2 is to Sergio Leoni’s ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’. Tarantino uses the same soundtrack in order to create excitement and suspense and to award the bride the same mythical status as Blondie in the Leoni film. Other similarities in the scene also include that both scenes are shot in a graveyard. The only difference in the scenes is that in Kill Bill 2 a woman has the status thus reflecting the changes in society and the attitudes to women over the last 40 years. The Uma Therman character takes on the cloak of heroism and this awards her the same status as Blondie.

Here is the clip from ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’ which contains the soundtrack also used in Kill Bill 2.

CinemaCity Visit

6^th October

In 2007/2008 July and August was the most popular time of year to see a mainstream film. At CinemaCity it’s at the start of the year.

France 2008

            14% household spend was on cinema

            43% household spend was on TV/games/DVDs

2008-1992 13x more was spent on advertising films

1945 – Top 20 films – 25% of market

2000 – Top 20 films – 50% of market

Independent Cinemas

1.      Privately owned and profit driven – I.e. Hollywood Cinemas

2.      Non-profit making and receives public and local subsidy – CinemaCity.

Both show films not shown at Vue/Odeon/etc.

           

Differences between Independent and Mainstream

-Different films

            -Films selected and programmed in a different way

            -Different Ambiance

            -Different audience expectations

 

CinemaCity

3 Screens – Screen 1: 184 seats, Screen 2: 100 seats, Screen 3: 60 seats

All digitally equipped – December 2009

Screen 2 has 3D technology – 2010

Restaurant and Bar

Membership scheme

Programme Analysis 2002

Category	% of Screenings
Mainstream	32%
Crossover	42%
Challenging	25%
Specialist	2%

CinemaCity Top 8 October 2007 – September 2010

1.      Slum Dog Millionaire (Budget: $15million)

2.      Mamma Mia!

3.      A Single Man

4.      The Reader

5.      Quantum of Solace

6.      Inception

7.      Toy Story 3D

8.      Sex in the City 2

Budget for Avatar: $237million

Tell No One (Ne le dis à Personne)

·        Crossover film

·        French

·        Based on a novel

·        4 Caesar awards

·        Reviewed by Sunday Times

·        Budget - £10million/$16million

The Boat That Rocked Presentation - Production, Marketing, Distribution and Exhibition