Technical Language and Images
The Open Window ,Storyboard and working script
AUNT
FRAMPTON looks at the small girl.
AUNT offers Frampton a seat and all three of the sit down.
FRAMPTON turns to the SMALL GIRL.
SMALL GIRL looks pale and wide eyed.
CAMERA-Long shot of the three figures and the dog.
FRAMPTON is frozen with fear.
CAMERA-Close up of the figures feet as the they are walking through the French window.
CUT TO:
5) EXT. OUTSIDE THE ESTATE
CAMERA-Long Shot of the door opening and Frampton running out and onto the gravel path.
CAMERA-Track from Frampton’s side running away from the house.
Dead Men Walking Screenplay
by
Ieva Bruzgaite and Helena Green
1) EXT. OUTSIDE THE GRAND ESTATE
A dominating estate from the regency period of England in the countryside is in view, Frampton approaches the door and is about to bang the door knocker when the door opens, and a small girl is in view.
SMALL GIRL
My Aunt will be down presently Mr. Smith, in the meantime I’m here to show you to the hall.
FRAMPTON nods his head and looks pale.
SMALL GIRL
This way...
CUT TO:
2) INT. INSIDE THE MAIN ENTRANCE
The small girl begins to walk away, Frampton pauses to observe the surrounding area, noticing a dusty portrait of Three men next to a gun rack and begins to walk on. The small girl looks back and smiles as she continues through a darkened corridor...
SMALL GIRL
Do you know many of the people around here?
FRAMPTON pale faced, and slightly shaking.
FRAMPTON
H-h-hardly a soul...My sister was staying here, at a rectory...you know...erm s-s-some four years ago...she gave me some letters of introduction to some people here
FRAMPTON laughs.
SMALL GIRL
Then you know nothing about my Aunt?
FRAMPTON
Afraid not, only her name and address...
CUT TO:
3) INT. THE HALL
They emerge from the dark corridor into a large hall with a towering French window as the focal point of the hall leading onto what appeared to be a courtyard. All around are musty paintings with a large grand table in the centre surrounded with velvet cushioned chairs and decorated lavishly with silver cutlery and ornaments.
SMALL GIRL
Her great tragedy happened just three years ago, that would be since your sister’s time.
FROMPTOM (inquisitively)
Tragedy?
SMALL GIRL
You may wonder why we keep that big window wide open on an October afternoon...
SMALL GIRL directs hands towards the French window.
FRAMPTON
The room needs airing?
SMALL GIRL (says authoritively)
Mr. Smith, please be serious...
SMALL GIRL looks at Frampton authoritively.
SMALL GIRL
Years ago to the day, my Aunt’s husband and two younger brothers went shooting out on the moors...
SMALL GIRL stops to breathe in.
SMALL GIRL
They were never seen again. And everyday, my Aunt keeps the window open, and waits for them to return...sometimes she tells me about them, always the same story. Of her husband leaving with his hunting jacket over his shoulders, and of her youngest brother singing Bertie, why do you bound? to his little brown spaniel...Do you know Mr. Smith, often on a quiet and still evening such as this...I get a chilling feeling as if they will walk through that window...
FRAMPTON looks pale and nervous, but happy to see the SMALL GIRL’S AUNT came gliding into the room.
AUNT
My deepest apologies on my lateness, I’m afraid my mind was otherwise engaged.
AUNT gazes towards the window.
AUNT
Mr. Smith I presume?
AUNT offering her hand to Frampton.
FRAMPTON hurriedly bends down to kiss her hand.
FRAMPTON
Indeed madam, lovely to make your acquaintance...
AUNT
I trust that my Niece has been entertaining you...
AUNT looks at the small girl.
AUNT
Young minds I often find are more absorbing than the older generation...
FRAMPTON looks at the small girl.
FRAMPTON
Er yes, yes indeed...I should say so myself, er your niece is a delightful young lady...
AUNT offers Frampton a seat and all three of the sit down.
CAMERA-Long shot of everyone sitting down.
AUNT
Well...
AUNT gazes at window.
AUNT
Please forgive me Mr. Smith for my attention is occupied mostly by my Husband and brothers arrival, they’ve been hunting...
AUNT gazes at window.
AUNT
I was expecting them back by now...I do hope nothing has happened...
FRAMPTON looks at Small Girl and back to the Aunt.
FRAMPTON
No no, not at all Madam, I’m only a guest. I’d like to extend my greatest thanks for you accepting me into your home.
AUNT
I was fond of your sister, naturally I was curious to meet her brother. Although the nature of your visit is distressing, is it not?
AUNT smiles a little.
FRAMPTON
Yes, it is a shame, doctor said no violent physical exercise, o-or mental excitement.
FRAMPTON nervous laughter.
FRAMPTON
Would not want anything to provoke a weak moment...yes, quite...on the matter of diet however my doctor and dietitian were torn, you see my doctor said that carrots were-
AUNT
Oh here they are now!
FRAMPTON turns to the SMALL GIRL.
SMALL GIRL looks pale and wide eyed.
CUT TO:
4) EXT. THE COURTYARD AND FIELD OUTSIDE THE FRENCH WINDOW
CAMERA-Long shot of the three figures and the dog.
Through the twilight landscape, three figures and a dog begin to emerge, the wind has stopped blowing. Everything is still and quiet except for the crunching of their boots on the frosty ground...
CAMERA-Close up of their feet walking past.
CAMERA-Close up shot of Frampton’s face.
FRAMPTON is frozen with fear.
CAMERA-Close up of the figures feet as the they are walking through the French window.
CAMERA- tilt movement + zoom out from the close of the figures feet all the way through their bodies, up to having then in a long shot seeing them in full.
When the men are walking in, Frampton grabs his hat and his stick.
CAMERA-Mid shot of Frampton looking at the alternative exit and back figures, then back to the exit.
FRAMPTON bursts through the door.
CAMERA- Dolly following Frampton running away.
CUT TO:
5) EXT. OUTSIDE THE ESTATE
CAMERA-Long Shot of the door opening and Frampton running out and onto the gravel path.
CAMERA-Track from Frampton’s side running away from the house.
CUT TO:
6) INT. INIDE THE MAIN HALL
CAMERA-Long shot of everyone looking puzzled and the dog playing with a ball on the floor.
CAMERA-Mid shot of the husband.
THE HUSBAND
Here we are my dear.
CAMERA-mid shot of aunt.
THE HUSBAND
Fairly muddy, but most of it’s dry.
CAMERA-long shot of the men that just came into the scene.
BROTHER 1
Who was that who steamed out as we walked in?
CAMERA-mid shot of the small girl.
SMALL GIRL
This was Mr. Smith, what a nice man.
AUNT
A man that only talks about his illnesses and left with-out saying
good-bye.
CAMERA- long shot of the crowd in the hall.
CAMERA-zoom in onto the small girl.
SMALL GIRL
I expect it was the spaniel.
CAMERA-mid shot to the brown dog and back to the small girl.
SMALL GIRL
He told me he had a fear of them after he got chased by a gang of wild dogs...
SMALL GIRL walks up to stroke the dog with her back to the others.
CAMERA-mid-shot of the small girl smirking whilst stroking the dog...
Storyboard
Analysis of Children Of Men
REPRESENTATION 
Where is being represented?
·
How is it being represented?
· Not too far into the future in 2027
Is it a positive or negative representation?
· Shows a bleak future for the world, where infertility has rendered the feelings of apocalypse amongst the human race. Chaos has broken out in countries everywhere. Britain remains to an extent civilized.
How is this created?
·
Who is being represented?
· The hero of the story is just an ordinary man who works in London.
Do we have a “hero”?
· We believe that the man mostly on the screen (Darren) will be the hero but we have not yet established how or why he is the hero.
How do we know he is the hero?
· Because he is the main character so far shown to us, and the camera has been following him from the beginning of the film.
Does he fit all of our established ideas of what a hero in a film should be?
· No he does not conform to the normal stereotypes of a hero.
If yes, what are these: if no, what is there in the text which makes him unsatisfactory as a hero?
· He does not have a job of any importance, is not involved in any crime-fighting activities, and does not look particularly strong or intelligent. Nothing suggests anything out of the ordinary with the main character in the opening sequence.
· All of the women are crying and mourning, put to light in a weak and fragile perspective. Women in particular are affected by the infertility in the film. It is a personal plight for women, as they may feel partially responsible for the end of the future for man kind, being the child bearers.
How is the future represented?
·
Can you notice any other social groups or places which are represented?
· Terrorism if rampant throughout the world.
How are these representations constructed?
· Dialogue and actions, and their settings. Rebels are represented by showing how they attack the train with stones and the notes they have written in the bill boards. The average people are represented as people who mind their own business but at the moments very shock with the “Baby Diego’s death”, as people are crying and mourning. The foreign people are represented as the dark side of the society as there are news reports of foreigners travelling to the UK with a focus being placed on getting foreigners out in such desperate times, also having them encaged in the train station and in addition having illegal foreigners shouting complaints as adverts.
MEDIA LANGUAGE:
What is the lighting like?
· Dark lighting
What is the effect of this on the text?
· Adds to the sad and depresses atmosphere.
What is the effect of this on the audience?
· Gives the audience the feeling that their will soon be the extinction of the human race, which is depressing.
Camera Work:
What do you notice about the camera work?
·
Does it conform to your expectations of a major feature (fictional) film?
· No, the film does not conform to expectations of a fictional film because everything appears to be very average, although it is set in the future. Conducting the daily tasks of going to work and commuting and buying lunch gives the feeling of a normal society when in fact society is slowly dieing out.
Is there anything you think is done differently?
· The normality of the situation makes the background of the film chilling because everything seems to be as if nothing has changed, when in 80 years the reality is that everyone on earth could be dead.
Why have the camera shots been chosen?
· To show average peoples reactions to the situation, and to make the viewer empathise with the situation.
Editing:
What kind of editing can you recognize?
· There are various editing techniques used to maintain the pace of the film by having unusual cuts at times to give different perspectives.
· This scene is called match on action
What does this do to the text?
· Makes London appear how it actually is strong representation to an average day in London.
Does it change the pace at all through the clip?
· To slow the pace of the film down and present it how life is normally.
Sound:
What do you notice in particular about the way sound has been constructed in this clip?
· Diegetic sound has been used to present the hustle and bustle of London life, as well as non diegetic noises after the explosion for the Film’s title to be shown.
Why do you think these choices have been made by the directors?
· To present how this situation could happen, it makes the film appear to be real life rather than over dramatised.
Mise-en-scene:
How have the locations been created?
·
What in them suggests time / location / situation to the audience?
· There is no difference to present day except for subtle advances in technology which shows that it is a conceivable future.
Analyses of the opening scene of “Se7en”
Camera Shot
• Only close up and extreme close up this builds up interest of audience in wanting to find out more about the character on the screen.
Angle
The use to high angles within the opening scene helps to create as such atmosphere of the subjects or objects use seem venerable.
Movement
• Point of view shots
• Track shots
Sound
Editing
MISE-EN-SCENE
Through mise-en-scene the effect of questioning is created. Due to the extreme close us only the objects and hands are available to be seen. The object list includes; pictures of dead people, there are various sharp objects in the opening scene that makes the audience, razor, scissor, pens, books, photography related objects, films and needle/thread. All of these objects has some sort of association with harm or been harmed objects. The fact that the audiences are exposed to such a images create a questioning atmosphere which encourages to watch on.
Characters
From the opening scene it is only known that there is one character, although we do not get to see who it is. This makes the audience question whether he is the only character in the film. Although there are pictures that are displayed in the video clip, this brings suspicion to the audience whether they are the characters of the story and why they are with the character shown. The character does not tolerate pain and un-comfort when he cuts his fingers and soon bandages them.
Locations
• In a room/ unknown yet.
Narrative/Plot
In the extract the character is performing various tasks. From what the audience sees the narrative plot is of the character writing/cutting/ sticking/ high lighting things. There is no clear evidence of the plot yet.
Themes
The theme of the clip is fear and pure investigation in further details of what is taking place in the scene, of who it is and why so.
Genre
Thriller – it is possible to guess that the genre of the film is thriller because of many clues in the opening scene such as psychological actions of the character such as removal of finger skin. This shows the audience that there might be deeper problems than self harm because later on in the scene there is a view of violent death victims pictures. This plays on the audience as a shock or in other words large dose of shocking information that allows the audience to prepare for the main plot of the story. This is very effective because it drags the audience attention and make them question why all of this is taking place.
Audience
Gender - There was a reasonably even split of males and females that saw the film, with 60% male and 40% female, however this still presents a divide between the appeal of ‘Seven’ to a national audience. It suggests that men were more drawn to the film than women, in spite of the main characters being female. 
Age – the age group that ‘Seven’ appealed to had shown to be audiences 15+, however between ages 15-24, 42% of whole audiences seem to have seen the film. However despite the fact that 42% were in age group of 15-24, the next highest percentage of audience where age between 25-34 and 19% of the audiences that have seen ‘Seven’ shown to be in the age group 35+. These statistics show that ‘Seven’ was most appealing to rather younger layers of the population, however there was interest of audiences that older than 35+.
Financial situation – from the statistics it is possible to see that the majority of the audience were from C1 class which totaled to be at 38%. However the film seemed to be appealing to all financial classes as all showed interest in seeing the film. This could be because the film is not particularly conservative with the financial class the characters are as it shows wide spread of possible financial groups the characters can be.
Opening sequence of “Panic Room” analysis
Camera Shot/Angle/Movement
Low angle and high angle shots occur consistently throughout the opening sequence showing towering buildings and scenery. There is also a large use of long shots and wide shots to establish the city the film is set in. There is some movement, the use of pan in the opening titles continues to add setting and wide scenery. Tilt is used to make the camera travel upwards to reveal more of the skyscrapers as the titles are being showed. A crane has been used right at the end of the sequence in order to lower the camera from the crowd of people to the main characters to show how fragile they are compared with the buildings.
Sound
The sound is non diegetic and has the largest effect on establishing the genre of the film. The theme of panic is included in the sound through the use of a fast ticking noise to signal the idea of time running out adding pace to the slow cuts. However, there is also diegetic sound of a busy city, such as traffic and later on the sound of people walking. Without the dominating music, the opening titles could appear to be from a business related film.
Editing
There is minimal editing through the scenes to keep the pace slow.
MISE-EN-SCENE
Characters
Right at the end of the opening scene the main characters are shown by having the music quieting down and the camera through a tilt movement. However the main characters are shown in a crowd of people and audience has to pick out which of the walking people are the main characters. There is one girl and one woman who play the role of the main characters. Whilst they are walking they are setting the scene for a key setting in the film.
Locations
From the opening scene it is very clear that the action of the film takes place in New York City, due to the scenery of high rise buildings and traditional attributes associated with New York such as yellow cabs and the Broadway district. Also the scenery of central park with the backdrop of skyscrapers gives an indication of the location. The opening sequence only focuses on setting the location where the film will take place, it does not introduce the scene where the main action will take place.
Narrative/Plot
There is minimum narrative in the opening sequence, only a small clip of two characters walking and talking in a crowd of people. Although there is speech, there is only information on where the characters are heading to, it reveals a snippet of the plot line.
Themes
Visual Style
Light colours give the impression that everything is fine on the surface and there is no imminent sense of danger. Spacious surroundings, acts as a controversial to the cramped room where the main action of the film is to take place as it is claustrophobic.
Genre
The Genre of the film from the opening sequence can be determined to be thriller from the use of sound, the non diegetic sound mixed in with the diegetic sound that is found in a busy city creates a sense of time running out. The slow editing contributes to the eery sense that something is going to go wrong that you get from the sound. Also, the fact that all appears well in the city gives the impression that rather than this being a horror film which has the conventions of being in a scary place, the film begins in broad daylight in a busy area which suggest that the suspense will come from more psychological fear that does not involve violence as such.
Audience:
Gender - There was a reasonably even split of males and females that saw the film, with 60% male and 40% female, however this still presents a divide between the appeal of 'Panic Room' to a national audience. It suggests that men were more drawn to the film than women, in spite of the main characters being female. 
Age – the age group that ‘Panic Room’ appealed to had shown to be audiences 15+, however between ages 15-24, 42% of whole audiences seem to have seen the film. However despite the fact that 42% were in age group of 15-24, the next highest percentage of audience where age between 25-34 and 19% of the audiences that have seen ‘Panic Room’ shown to be in the age group 35+. These statistics show that ‘Panic Room’ was most appealing to rather younger layers of the population, however there was interest of audiences that older than 35+.
Financial situation – from the statistics it is possible to see that the majority of the audience were from C1 class which totaled to be at 38%. However the film seemed to be appealing to all financial classes as all showed interest in seeing the film. This could be because the film is not particularly conservative with the financial class the characters are as it shows wide spread of possible financial groups the characters can be.
Opening sequence of “The Shinning” analysis
Camera Shot/Angle/Movement
'The Shining' uses long shots and wide shots to in order to establish the idea that wherever the car is headed, it is in a desolate area unpopulated for miles. By using a helicopter to track the focal point of the opening, the car, it gives a broad impression on the landscape and area it is set in, and projects a feeling of isolation. The Shining focuses upon a long stream of helicopter movement that zooms down towards the car and also monitors from far away which alters the pace of the opening from fast to slow at different points.
Sound
The score used in the opening does not use diegetic sound, but an opening theme that adds to the feel of the film being a thriller. The score is slow and matches the pace of the shots and movement with the camera. Together they act as a foreshadow for unpleasant events to come, without the sound this would not be projected as well, because the shots give the impression of all being well, and of someone going on a journey, whereas the music suggests something is going to go wrong.
Editing
There is little editing used in the opening, the bulk of the editing is slow cuts that separate the slow cuts between camera movements and long shots of landscapes and the car. There is no use of special effects; the opening is carried by continuous shots.
MISE-EN-SCENE
Characters
There are no characters present in the opening, there is only a single car on a long road that stretches across the countryside. This gives the feeling that the character or characters in the car are the protagonists as the angle from the camera is high, giving the impression that they will be victims when joined with the sound and the fact that the car is on its own in the middle of nowhere.
Locations
The location of the film is desolate and dominating, the images of mountains and large lakes with no population present suggest that the action will take place with a small amount of characters. In addition to this the countryside is presented as a scary place because of the use of shots and angles combined with the sound to imply that there is no law enforcement or help for miles. Giving the ideal setting for a thriller to take place.
Narrative/Plot
No plot is revealed from the opening keeping the audience ambiguous about the context of the film. The audience can imply from the single car traveling by itself in the middle of nowhere that whoever is in the car is on a journey of some sort. Apart from that, the assumption is that there will be conflict from the atmosphere created.
Themes
The opening sets the perfect foundations for a thriller, with the themes of isolation and fear evident in the opening created through the music and setting. Isolation through the camera angles and shots present a lonely car in an unpopulated area, with the non diegetic sound presenting a feeling that the car and people/person in it is doomed. The foreshadowing effect this has on the opening gives a sense of fear.
Genre
The genre of the film falls into thriller because there is no threat of violence or gore in the opening, but there are subtle hints of possible problems in the future of the characters in the car. The audience is aware of this from combining the different aspects of the opening to create an overall assumption that the film may be linked to violence, but not directly at first. The sound shows that there will be fear both from the characters and the audience as the events within the film unfold.
Opening sequence of “Red Eye” analysis
Camera Shot/Angle/Movement
This contrasts to the use of close ups and little movement that is in 'Red Eye', it gives the feeling of an enclosed place, focusing on shots that are not broad and capture a sense that the film will be set in a small location. Also, the movement in ‘Red Eye’ is faster paced, using quick pans and track to give a sense of time being short. Furthermore, ‘Red Eye’ includes more focus on point of view shots rather than shots that look at a point of interest from a long range as seen in ‘The Shining’.
Sound
The sound in the opening of the “Red Eye” consists of both diegetic such as placing of the keys on the table and opening of the wooden box and non diegetic such as fast pace music that changes about 30 seconds into the opening of the film, the diegetic sounds are used minimally to add to the use of action made within the opening clip. The idea of using both the diegetic and non diegetic sound one over each other is the created the effect if how fast the events take place.
Editing
The editing in ‘Red Eye’ is fast paced which creates the sense of anticipation and the image of real world as many thing go on at the same time. The idea of the fast pace is to try and show as much information as possible to interest the audience and make them ask as many questions as possible that would be reveal later on in the film. Although each scene in the opening clip are somehow related to each other, such as the stolen valet that then gets emptied and prepared for to be a manipulation device.
MISE-EN-SCENE
Camera Shot/Angle/Movement
The camera shots in ‘Panic Room’ and ‘Se7en’ are exact opposites, with ‘Panic Room’ focusing on long shots and wide shots of building and ‘Se7en’ with close ups. The camera angles are similar, giving high and low angles to show in ‘Panic Room’ the height of buildings and the views below, whereas in ‘Se7en’ high and low angles are used to create an obscured view of objects that are being tampered with, as shown in the screen grab to the right. Both openings have little use of camera movement, limited only to the end of the opening of ‘Panic Room’ in which crane is used to lower the camera from over a crowd of people to view two characters walking and talking. ‘Se7en’ uses no camera movement to keep the edits short and concise, close ups and extreme close ups are used in a disjointed way to obscure the viewers understanding of what is happening in the opening sequence. ‘Panic Room’ gives the impression of a small confined place which is contrasted by the use of long and wide shots in the opening to produce views of areas of a large city; this is projected with the use of pan to expand on the view of skyscrapers.
Editing
Both openings have a limited amount of characters involved, but their focus on characters allures greatly. ‘Panic Room’ introduces the main characters to the audience through a walk and talk shot at the end of the opening sequence, whereas ‘Se7en’ includes snippets of a character’s body with no dialogue, creating a sense that the character is unknown for ambiguous reasons such as his identity in the opening is restrained to give the impression that this person with intrusive information could be anyone. These create a sense of the ‘Thriller’ genre is different ways, the walk and talk scene presents panic between the two main characters by walking fast in a heated conversation, whereas the withheld knowledge of the character in the opening titles of ‘Se7en’ gives the impression that the person could be anyone, and that the information he has collected can be accessed by anyone. Also, the character in ‘Se7en’ is presented in a violent way with the use of props such as razor-blades which present the character as threatening; in ‘Panic Room’ the characters are shown to be in a open area and anxious which creates the impression that they are not menacing and are the possible victims of the film.
Both openings are highly visual as oppose to narrative or plot based, the amunt of dialogue exchanged between the two characters in ‘Panic Room’ reveals limited information about the plot. Compared to ‘Se7en’ which only focuses on visuals, the only possible suggestion of plot line is the cut out of ‘God’ from an American currency bill at the very end of the opening, which introduces the idea of religion as a main theme and plot driver.
Gender – The gender specification of ‘Panic Room’ and ‘Se7en’ according to the website ‘Pearl and Dean’ falls relatively evenly between men and women, with the audience in cinemas being made up of around 60% males, and 40% females. This indicates that although the main characters from the end of the opening sequence being female that man were still interested in viewing the film in spite of the focus being on females. Furthermore, this indicates that males were more interested in viewing the thrillers than women based on these statistics.
Age – The majority of the people that viewed the film were teenagers to young adults aged 15 to 24 making up 42% of the age who saw the film, and adults from age 25 to 34 which were 39% of the people who viewed the film. This shows that the films appealed most to teenagers and young adults which is the target audience set for the films, being a certificate 15, it was expected that people of ages 15 and close to this age would find the films more appealing than other age ranges.
There are characters shown through the use of props, that show possible victims or people that may be affected. At the beginning of the opening there is rather great concentration of the camera through a close up shot onto photos that would later on reveal to be one of the main characters.
Narrative/Plot
Themes
From the opening of the film it is possible to gather the theme of the film as the fact that there is great detail given to some sort of planning toward an event reveal the idea of manipulation and harm. Also the use of props as weapon box and fast music show that the film is to be an action film.
Visual Style
Through the use of dark colours and large props during the opening of the scene there is no specific evidence what is to happen in the film and where the main action takes place, however the sense of planning (e.g. looking at building pictures and plans) show that the action with in the film should be well organised leading to the stereo type of thriller.
Genre
‘Red Eye’ is classified as a thriller film and that is how the opening of the film portraits it, as it includes questioning by the audience of what is to come through the use of showing many activities in the opening two minutes of the film such as stealing and adjusting of the valet also the planning of some sort of even to do with buildings possible kidnapping. The fact that so many questions arise from the opening makes the film possibly easily fall into thriller genre.
Audience:
Opening Sequences comparison of ‘Panic Room’ and ‘Se7en’ Analysis
Camera Shot/Angle/Movement
The camera shots in ‘Panic Room’ and ‘Se7en’ are exact opposites, with ‘Panic Room’ focusing on long shots and wide shots of building and ‘Se7en’ with close ups. The camera angles are similar, giving high and low angles to show in ‘Panic Room’ the height of buildings and the views below, whereas in ‘Se7en’ high and low angles are used to create an obscured view of objects that are being tampered with, as shown in the screen grab to the right. Both openings have little use of camera movement, limited only to the end of the opening of ‘Panic Room’ in which crane is used to lower the camera from over a crowd of people to view two characters walking and talking. ‘Se7en’ uses no camera movement to keep the edits short and concise, close ups and extreme close ups are used in a disjointed way to obscure the viewers understanding of what is happening in the opening sequence. ‘Panic Room’ gives the impression of a small confined place which is contrasted by the use of long and wide shots in the opening to produce views of areas of a large city; this is projected with the use of pan to expand on the view of skyscrapers. 
Sound
‘Se7en’ and ‘Panic Room’ both include non diegetic sound to add to the thriller effect, however, ‘Panic Room’ also includes diegetic sound, matching an eerie opening score with inner city sounds to give the atmosphere of a city and also to adds foreshadowing feel that something is going to go wrong. ‘Se7en’s opening sound is disjointed and does not follow any particularly melody, with mostly odd electronic sounds, which is different to a melodic opening score for ‘Panic Room’s opening. ‘Se7en’ uses unusual music in order to add to the strange clips that are shown in the opening sequence; both fit together well because they are obscure and add to the thriller theme. Similarly, the sweeping skyscrapers of New York shown in ‘Panic Room’ are complimented by a slow melody to match the editing.
Editing
The editing in ‘Panic Room’ has been adapted to clash with the fast pace of city life so the edits are slow. Whereas in ‘Se7en’ the editing is fast and rough to highlight the sinister nature of the character and the strange tasks he is completing. The editing in ‘Se7en’ uses effects to heighten the sense of fear and to promote the genre of ‘Se7en’. Effects such as echo, shown in the screen grab above create a ghost like image on screen which evokes fear and uncertainty in the opening as possible themes or points of interest in the film. Furthermore, the depth of field is altered to blur the character out and sharpen his hands working on a project. This creates fear as you are unsure of the identity of the person who is looking at violent images and also increases the awareness of the audience that this is a thriller. Also, through the editing you become aware that the film will have essence of psychological uncertainty due to the nature of the character reading and educating them self through the props of books. By using layering to overlap the main shot with numbers which gives the effect of subliminal messaging and adds to the uneasy atmosphere created by the sharp edits.
MISE-EN-SCENEMise en Scene in ‘Se7en’ adds to the thriller genre. The make up used on the character in ‘Se7en’ such as the bandages around the fingers and the dirt under the nails to indicate that the character is used to ‘getting his hands dirty’ and is not somebody who is going to be a protagonist in the film, or a hero.
Characters
Both openings have a limited amount of characters involved, but their focus on characters allures greatly. ‘Panic Room’ introduces the main characters to the audience through a walk and talk shot at the end of the opening sequence, whereas ‘Se7en’ includes snippets of a character’s body with no dialogue, creating a sense that the character is unknown for ambiguous reasons such as his identity in the opening is restrained to give the impression that this person with intrusive information could be anyone. These create a sense of the ‘Thriller’ genre is different ways, the walk and talk scene presents panic between the two main characters by walking fast in a heated conversation, whereas the withheld knowledge of the character in the opening titles of ‘Se7en’ gives the impression that the person could be anyone, and that the information he has collected can be accessed by anyone. Also, the character in ‘Se7en’ is presented in a violent way with the use of props such as razor-blades which present the character as threatening; in ‘Panic Room’ the characters are shown to be in a open area and anxious which creates the impression that they are not menacing and are the possible victims of the film. 
Locations
The locations in ‘Panic Room’ and ‘Se7en’ alternate greatly, one being set in a well known location: New York, and the other being set in an unknown location. ‘Panic Room’s opening sequence is well lit and highly populated which is ironic when paired with the title suggesting a small enclosed space. The area in ‘Se7en’ is dark and is claustrophobic which is in keeping with the theme of fear instilled in the opening, but the location does not suggest anything about the title.
Narrative/Plot
Both openings are highly visual as oppose to narrative or plot based, the amunt of dialogue exchanged between the two characters in ‘Panic Room’ reveals limited information about the plot. Compared to ‘Se7en’ which only focuses on visuals, the only possible suggestion of plot line is the cut out of ‘God’ from an American currency bill at the very end of the opening, which introduces the idea of religion as a main theme and plot driver.
Themes
The themes of ‘Panic Room’ and ‘Se7en’ are different because of the alternating types of fear that they wish to portray throughout the film. ‘Panic Room’ is based on the fear of being in an enclosed space which is to do with psychological and emotional fear. ‘Se7en’ presents themes more closely linked to violence and horror, with an essence of psychological fear, through the violent images portrayed in the opening. Also the theme of religion is present in the use of the non diegetic sound and the clipping of ‘God’ at the end of the scene presented in the music.
Genre
Both films are thrillers and their openings contain deep detail that relates to their genre, which include: music, props and setting. In ‘Panic Room’ the use of shots allows the audience to generate the idea that not all the way through the film everything will be as calm and slow, although the music opposes this as it is fast paced and can suggest an increased pace later on. However the opening scene in ‘Se7en’ allows the audience to get a glimpse of what is to come in the rest of the film, this is done through the use of close ups which show actions associated with the thriller genre (e.g. skinning the tips of the finger). Both openings show the conventions of the thriller genre, particularly ‘Se7en’ through its references to violence, fast edits, creepy music and unusual edits to provoke fear. ‘Panic Room’ presents limited conventions; mostly the music creates a thriller effect as it creates a feeling of panic and uncertainty.
Audience:
Gender – The gender specification of ‘Panic Room’ and ‘Se7en’ according to the website ‘Pearl and Dean’ falls relatively evenly between men and women, with the audience in cinemas being made up of around 60% males, and 40% females. This indicates that although the main characters from the end of the opening sequence being female that man were still interested in viewing the film in spite of the focus being on females. Furthermore, this indicates that males were more interested in viewing the thrillers than women based on these statistics. Age – The majority of the people that viewed the film were teenagers to young adults aged 15 to 24 making up 42% of the age who saw the film, and adults from age 25 to 34 which were 39% of the people who viewed the film. This shows that the films appealed most to teenagers and young adults which is the target audience set for the films, being a certificate 15, it was expected that people of ages 15 and close to this age would find the films more appealing than other age ranges.
Financial situation – Although there was a reasonable range between the classes that viewed the films, the lower middle class saw them the most at 38% of the collective audience being this class. Furthermore, this was followed by the working class at 23% which suggests that people of moderate incomes were interested in seeing ‘Panic Room’ and ‘Se7en’.
In conclusion, from the data collected, it can be suggested that the target audience of the films were young adult males with moderate incomes.
Questionnaire and anlysise for target audience
Questionnaire
1) What is your gender?
Male [ ] Female [ ]
2) What age group are you?
4-6 [ ] 7-11 [ ] 12-14 [ ] 15-24 [ ]
25-34 [ ] 35-44 [ ] 45+ [ ]
3) What types of genre films do you like watching?
Conspiracy [ ] Mystery [ ] Religious [ ]
Crime [ ] Political [ ] Supernatural [ ]
Disaster [ ] Psychological [ ] Techno [ ]
4) What type of music do you like listening thriller film to contain?
Classic Pop & Rock [ ] Classical [ ] Dance and Electronica [ ]
Hip Hop/RnB/Dancehall [ ] Jazz & Blues [ ] Pop & Chart [ ]
Rock & Indie [ ] Soul & Reggae [ ] World [ ]
5) How often do you visit the cinema a year?
I do not visit the cinema [ ] 1-3 [ ] 4-6 [ ] 7-10 [ ] 10+ [ ]
6) What factors usually affect you not going to the cinema, if any?
Price of cinema ticket [ ] Price of food and refreshments [ ] Location of the cinema [ ]
Other: __________________________________
7) What was the last film you have seen at cinema?
Film:______________________________________________________________
8) How do you like the narrative of the story to be told?
Through the aid of narrator [ ] Through flash backs [ ]
Through constant action [ ] Through hidden messages in the film [ ]
9) What do you expect the opening of the film to contain?
Titles of the film [ ] Still shots of views [ ]
Direct acting [ ] Build up to action [ ]
10) In the opening of the film, what type of sound you like to be exposed?
Diegetic (sound that can be heard by the characters within a scene, e.g. footsteps, closing of the door, wind. ) [ ]
Non-diegetic (the sound that characters cannot hear, e.g. music over.) [ ]
11) What do you prefer the opening scene to contain?
A lot of action [ ] Slow going beginning [ ] Setting the scene [ ]
Introduction of characters [ ] Nothing to do with the plot action [ ]
Other:________________________________________________________________________
Analysis
Our first two questions on the questionnaire determined the age and gender of those participating in the survey. he data shows that we did not have a wide age range, this is acceptable because most thrillers are rated with certificate ’15’ and above. Out of the people surveyed, 90% were in the ages ’15 to 24’, which corresponds with our target audience based on the ‘Pearl and Dean’ website. Also, the majority of people answering the questionnaire were male, since ‘Pearl and Dean’ also shows that males visit thriller films more than females, this should not have a large effect on the data. Since males are more likely to attend thrillers, it is valuable to have a slightly larger amount of males in the survey.
Our data identifies ‘Supernatural’ and ‘Disaster’ sub-genres of thrillers to be the most popular, with all others equally well received. Considering that our project was a small opening to a film, we did not consider a disaster thriller to be achievable because we did not have access to special effects. Furthermore, we thought that a supernatural thriller would also be hard to achieve, as getting the message that there is a poltergeist or something that is unnatural across to the audience would be difficult to achieve well in 2 minutes. Considering that all other options were met with equal interest, we chose to base our opening around the crime sub-genre, as we felt this would be the most achievable thriller format to project to an audience in the allotted time.
The most popular genre types for a thriller genre film were ‘Classic Pop and Rock’ followed by ‘Rock and Indie’. However, we could not see a way to amalgamate these types into the a crime thriller which would build up suspense. We chose to pick a song that was a blend of ‘Hip Hop/RnB/Dancehall’ with ‘Pop and Chart’, both joint 3rd choice. Our song fitted the project well, and was similar to other opening songs we had heard from ‘Se7en’ and ‘Panic Room’ in building up suspense and tension but also keeping the pace of the opening to entertain the audience.
There was a clear divide between the amount of times the people attended the cinema a year, with most people visiting between ‘4 to 6’ and ’10+’ times a year. The large divide between the data suggests that some people only visit the cinema for a film they are really anticipating and wait for others to go to dvd that they do not deem as worth seeing at the cinema.
The biggest factor affecting the people in our survey was the price of the ticket, taking this into account was an important factor when establishing our thriller because cinema prices are high which means that the plot line has to be strong to convince people to go.
Most of the people in our survey had not recently seen a thriller, the majority had visited teen romance and action/adventure films. Considering that thriller films were not overly popular with the people in our survey, it made us focus more on our characters and cast to appeal to a wider audience.
A narrator would not have fitted in with our sub-genre of thriller, and the plotline developed had no need for flashbacks during the opening. However, we took into account the desire for action and hidden messages with the data obtained in the survey, and included both of these aspects in the opening.
We included all of these as they were important conventions within the thriller genre. Direct acting throughout the opening, a build up of suspense which climaxed with action relating back to the previous question and the titles were also included. Since still shots of view would lower the pace and build up in the opening, and were unpopular in our survey ,we left them out.
We mostly focused on non-diegetic sound so that the diegetic sound of the gunshot at the end of the opening would have a large effect on the audience.
Our opening includes all of these aspects, setting the scene of an assassination organization, introducing two characters and setting the scene for a crime thriller. Since people were equally concerned with these three aspects, we mainly focused on them. The pace definitely increases over time which the questionnaire showed to be a point of interest also.
Film Title Analysis
Tipically the order of titles is as follows:
After analysing the openings of 5 thrillers, we were able to determine the order of the credits.
They begin with a clip for the Distribution company the film was made by
The studio title
Production team and associate producti on companies
Main Cast
Title of the Film
Supporting cast
Casting by
Music / Costumes
Editing
Production Designers
Director of Photography
Producers
Co-Producers
Executive Producers
Written by
Story by
Screenplay by
The Director
 |
| Panic Room Titles |
 |
| Se7en Titles |
 |
| Red Eye Titles |
 |
| The Shining Titles |
Preliminary Task
Screenplay
Into The Room
by
Ieva Bruzgaite and Helena Green
1) INT. Corridor in a public building
An angry looking WOMAN storms down the corridor towards a door.
1. CAMERA SHOT=long shot of the WOMAN walking.
2. CAMERA SHOT=Mid-shot of the ANGRY WOMAN reaching out about to open the door.
3. CAMERS SHOT= Mid-shot of the ANGRY WOMAN walking though the door.
CUT TO:
2) INT. ROOM IN A PUBLIC BUILDING
A smartly dressed woman named VIPER is sitting in a chair with her back to the door, the ANGRY WOMAN walks in...
4. CAMERA SHOT= (180 degree rule and match on action) mid-shot over VIPER’S shoulder, showing a long shot of the ANGRY WOMEN talking.
ANGRY WOMEN points finger at the chair.
ANGRY WOMAN
What have you done with my daughter, Viper. Don’t you play games with me.
5. CAMER SHOT= (shot reverse shot) Over the ANGRY WOMAN’S shoulder from a high angle.
VIPER swivels round in the chair
ViperI was wondering when you’d decide to show up...
Storyboard
Premium task
No comments:
Post a Comment