In the thriller genre there is a lot of things which are typical for a thriller. Things like mise-en-scene and how lighting and camera work is used in a movie. 
the genre "thriller" can be sub categorised into different types of thriller like :


Crime thriller- This is a hybrid between a crime film and a thriller, which is usually about robberies or shoot outs where something has gone wrong and not everything is as it first seemed. Eg. No country for old men


Disaster thriller- Disaster thrillers are based around natural or artificial disasters such as hurricanes, floods and nuclear disasters. Eg. The day after tomorrow 


Erotic thriller-This is a thriller with strong aspects of erotic present throughout the film. Eg.Dressed to kill 


Legal thriller- This is a thriller which involves the courtroom, mostly the hero will confront enemies which might jeopardize the case. Eg. The Client


Supernatural Thriller- This is a thriller with a supernatural element to it. The sub genre  creates suspense, tension and adds twist like psychic ability or the ability to see ghosts. Eg. Lady in the water


Action Thriller-This is the most common type of thriller with strong aspects of violence,fast chase scenes and special effects like explosions.Eg. The James Bond series.

analysis of shutter island

Shot 1

We are introduced with a long shot of a boat it is positioned in the centre so all the attention is drawn to it and the fact that everything is surrounded by cloud we can only make out the ship. The ship looks military styled and the shot is straight on.. The scene gives off a sense of isolation with it being the only thing in sight. There is also a steady beat through out the whole opening sequence, yet again military like and a non diegetic crackling sound which is quiet faint.

Shot 2.
This is a long shot of the detective, yet even though he's in the centre, he's not what grabs our attention as he's out of focus whilst the shackle and chains aboard the ship are. The sound of chains clanking also empathises the chains and shackles making an uneasy atmosphere. The lack of light also gives a sinister feel to the scene with only a few windows aboard the ship, leaving the audience feeling imprisoned.

Shot 3

This is a medium shot of the two characters we're first introduced to. The new character is the centre of our attention whilst the character we have encountered before is slightly to the left, making the audience focus on the new person. Mise-en-scene suggest that the two people are detectives as they're both dressed in trench coats, hats, and suits and one of the "detectives" has a plaster on their head, giving a sense of danger. There is also a cage like background when it swaps from each characters point of view , this adds to the prison like uneasy feeling of the scene.

Shot 4.

This shot is a close up of the man and woman in shot, it is a different scene to the one on the ship and is a flashback, which is known by the use of light as there's a fade to white before the scene and after as it goes back to the ship. The two people are both central, so they're equally important yet, the woman has more light on her so the audience are more attracted to the woman. Yet again the light also changes the atmosphere as its brighter and more colourful making a happier atmosphere. The scene shows a tie being put on the man ( who's the detective) and when it flashes between the two scenes the audience realise that he's wearing the tie meaning that he cant let go of the past and that his past has a significance in the movie. The only sound is the opera music and crackling sound, which is then interrupted by the crashing of waves and then back to the woman for a brief time. The waves crashing could symbolise the end to the woman's life.

Shot 5.

In shot 5 its an establishing long shot of the pier on the island. The island looks isolated and uninhabitable with the mountains and rough terrain, making the audience think that its not a very nice place to live. On the actual pier there is hanging poles where people get hung and police wardens are roaming around which gives a very hostile feeling to the island which is added to by the darkness and bad weather. Pathetic fallacy is used here, reflecting the bad weather on the atmosphere in the scene. The steady music that has been going on throughout the opening section is now sped up, building tension as the boat approaches the island.


Overall moving sequence: The sequence works well together as it opens up the characters yet still leaves the audience speculating about each character and about the island. there isn't a huge variety of angle's as most of the shots are just straight on, except for the over the shoulder shots. and one point of view shot. The music is steady throughout the scene and the tension is built up through this way, as by the end it starts speeding up.

the thriller genre

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/4558247/Untitled 

The thriller genre is usually for the older people as its difficult to understand  and quiet psychological. It also normally involves violonce

bbfc

The BBFC is the british board of film classification, they view films, games, etc and define the audience that is suitable for the moving image. All moving images have to be classified by the law and there is different classifications for different content in films.

Uc- This certification is given to films which raise no concerns and can be shown to kids whatever the age.

U- This certification means that it may raise slight issues yet it is still suitable for children of 4 years and over.

PG- This certification means that for children of 8 years and over it shouldn't raise any problems yet younger children may find some scenes distressing and it is up to the parent to decide whether it is suitable or not.

12a- A 12a movie means that a child of 12 years and over can view that film and it will be fine for them, yet no one younger than the age of 12 can view it without an adult yet with an adult it is up to them to decide whether the film is suitable and it is their responsibility.

12- This means that a person under the age of 12 can see this movie.

15- This classification means that no one younger than the age of 15 can see this movie.

18- This classification means that no one younger than the age of 18 can view this movie.

R18(restricted)- R18 means that this film can only be shown in licensed cinemas or supplied only in licensed sex shops and can only be bought by a person of 18 and over.

The thriller genre is usually give an age classification of 15 and above as most thrillers have a violent and psychological nature which may distress younger children.
Shutter Island, No country for old men and Se7en all come under the thriller genre and all come under the " 15 and above" age classification.

In shutter island it is given a classification of "15" this is because there is a violent nature to the film and most scenes have a psychological issue to them.

No Country For Old Men has a lot of violence in it yet is is still a 15, with murderers suffering from psychological issues and violent and horrific ways of killing are used, with a lot of blood. Yet the film hasn't got any other issues like drug abuse or torture in it.

Se7en

Se7en is classified as an eighteen as it has violent scenes, it has a lot of blood and torture is portrayed most of the time as one by one the victims die. What makes seven an eighteen compared to the other two films which are 15's is the fact that it is more psychologically ensnaring and shows torture.

 1. Two people walking down a corridor, this is an eye level mid shot, and switches between the two people whilst also switching with shot 2, of the close up of the feet.

3. This is again a shot of the two people this time meeting. It will be a midshot, and only a small piece of dialogue is exchanged.

4. This is a midshot of the two people walking through the door, we will do match on action so that it doesn't look out of place or not timed right.

5. this is a pan of the room, following the people so that one sits down and the other goes to the counter.

6. shot 6 is a shot of a person making two hot drinks. This will be a mid shot so that it is focused on the person and the hot drink.

7. shot 7 will be a close up of the two cups, these maybe    interlinked with shot 6 so that you can see what's going on with each individual cup.

8. Shot 8 is a birds eye view of the cup starting with a close up and then going into an extreme closeup and then where you cant recognise what it is just a black screen and then it carries on to shot 9.

9. shot 9 is continued on from shot 8 where it goes from      
a black screen to it zooming out.

10. It zooms out to shot 10 which is a birds eye view of the singular biscuit and the two people.

11.  shot 11 is a close up of one of the peoples eyes where they have the stare off.

12. shot 12 is the second person's eyes staring at the other person as they have a stare off.

13+14. these are shots of the peoples mouths, with shot 13 the person is licking their lips whilst shot 14 the person is chewing on their pen.

15. this is a long shot of the two people having their stare off, this is in place to create tension and show the whole scene.

16. These will be over the shoulder shots as the two people reach for the biscuit.

17. this will be the close up of the two hands on the biscuit.

Western Themed Preliminary Video

music

the first piece of music for our media

music

The second piece of music for our video

PSYCHO!

Psycho

This is a sill from the movie “Psycho”, it is a POV shot (point of view shot) and shows the point of view of the woman in the shower, there is many times where this shot comes up and this is all to build up the tension because we don’t get much of the surroundings and what’s behind her as it’s a close up of the shower head. The shower head is centred so all the focus is on the water and the shower head, meaning that this is what they’re wanting the people to focus on the water and the shower, like the woman is making us feel a sense of calm and peace. The shower symbolises cleanliness and purity which from later on we know it isn’t, as the woman gets murdered in it. The shower is also a place that is private and the killer intrudes the personal space.  This shot is repeated many times, and only for a short period, making the viewer focus more.

This is a third person point of view where it is framed so that only important subjects are in view, and so that we can see  what’s going on behind the woman, who is completely oblivious to what’s about to happen. In this shot the golden mean can mean used as you can see the shadow in the left hand side and it goes down to the woman, showing us the important subjects. Unlike most of the shots in this scene this is a mid-shot and then closes in to the shadow behind the shower curtain, building up tension and panic as we can see what will happen yet the victim is blissful in the shower.  We are left with a sense of urgency to say that something bad is going to happen, to make the victim notice, making the viewer feel hopeless and like the victim. The only prop here is the semi-transparent shower curtain; the fact that it’s only semi-transparent gives it a sense of mystery as it gives us information that someone is there, yet it leaves us in the dark as the person is distorted and hard to see, as they’re lit from behind.

 

This is a close up shot of the killer and even though the face is centralised we can’t make anything out, as the face is dark from the light which is behind the killer, and also because of the water. This leads us to the thing most in focus which is the knife, the way that the rest of the bathroom is cut out makes the viewer focus on the killer, making it more emotional and personal as it is also in the point of view of the victim making us empathize with the victim. The way it is framed makes us focus on the killer, which is quiet uncomfortable as we have no choice, to either look at a blank face or a knife. The killer herself ( it is obvious it is a female by her hands) is dressed rather particular as she is disguised giving a sense of mystery  yet her outfit is bland and doesn’t make her stand out, she also opted to go for the female disguise which is unusual as usually the killer would go for the opposite gender. It is also peculiar as the killer is a female, as the typical killer in thriller movies are men and the typical victims are women.

 

This is an extreme close up of the victim, showing fear and emotion. Extreme close ups make the viewer uncomfortable and even though this shows emotions and fear well, it does make the viewer uncomfortable as well, maybe even empathizing with the victim as the emotion is extreme making the viewer feel the same panic. There is an editing technique used where we see the whole face and then it zooms in, having been put there to at first show the terror in her eyes, and when she starts screaming the corresponding sound. 

This is a Dutch mid shot of a third person view from above of the victim being attacked, and struggling to fight back. The fact that the angle is a canted angle gives us a sense of panic and chaos; it is abnormal, which fits the scene as she’s being attacked. The mid shot which is one of the only mid shots in the shower scene gives us an overall insight into what’s happening yet, the killer is still hidden as the bar goes across the face. The upper angle it has been shot at makes the victim look helpless and vulnerable, as well as her being naked as it exposes her completely, both on the outside and in. The way the victim is standing shows that she’s really struggling to keep the killer away, whilst the killer is quiet calm; with her posture straight and her arm straight out knowing what she’s doing.

The moving sequence

Overall the sequence works well together as its cut in different places giving us lots of points of view and angles to show different moods and build tension, and using mise-en-scene to give further information about each character yet still being in the dark about the killer even though we get a lot of details about her. There is also a lot of symbolism in this scene where everything has a meaning as to why it’s there. 

Media ISL: Glossary

Glossary of Camera Shots, Camera Movements, Editing Techniques and Filming Techniques and Terms.

Camera Shots:

Extreme Long Shot: 

• Show the subjects surroundings
• Can also be used as an establishing scene to introduce new scenes and settings
• Can be used where action is spread out.
• This shot is used to establish the surroundings and give more information about the surroundings, to the viewer

Longshot:

• Mostly the subject takes up all the frame eg. a man standing, his feet are nearly at the bottom and his head is almost at the top
• It can be used to show the character in their own environment.

Midshot:

• Close enough to show us particular feautures of the subject yet far away enough to feel like we're looking at the whole subject
• This shot is often used as it feels like you can see the person in the flesh as  when in conversation most people look at the top half of the body.
• Allows room for movements and gestures.
• Often used in conversations and news reading.

Medium close up:

• Can show face comfortably giving an insight into the expression on the face.

Close Up:

• Feature/part is the main focus.
• Its good for showing detail, and the emotional state of a person. it makes the audience empathize with the person.

Extreme Close Up:

• Draws attention to important details yet too close to show emotion or dramatic scenes.
• Can make the viewer feel uncomfortable, so is not used very often

Cut Away:

• this is a shot of something other than the normal subject, it can be a  close up of something else that relates or carries on to the main subject.
• These can be used as a "buffer" between shots or to add some more info.

Two Shot:

• This can be used to establish a relationship between two subjects, which will be equally as important as one another.
•  Two shot can also include action and movement, so two moving people without getting too muddled up with the surroundings.

Over the Shoulder:

• This is a shot of a a person looking at a subject and we can see both the person looking at the subject and the subject.
• An over the shoulder shot is exactly that, it is a shot of over the shoulder of someone, it can also be reversed
• Its a good technique to use in conversation and can give a person point of view.

Noddy Shot:

• A reaction to the subject, this is very good to edit in later if no film can be put in place.
• Interviews. Nodding. Etc.

POV Shot:

• This is a point of view shot where we get the subject point of view
• can create tension

Camera Movement:

Low angle/high angle:

• Low angles can give a sense of scale to a building, or show power or authority
• High angles can make the viewer feel small and inferior, it will also make the subject seem small and inferior.

Pan:

• Can create action, speed and tension
• Used in chase scenes to follow the action and make you feel like you're actually there.

Tracking Shot:

• Creates tension and excitement and lets you follow the action.
• Helps to give a feel of motion and speed.

Tilt:

• Can be used to create a sense of height or size

Canted/Dutch:

• The camera is  not straight, giving a sense of chaos or abnormality

Zoom in/Zoom out:

• Can highlight or give more information about the subject

Crane Shot:

• Can help to show size and scale and how the subject fits into the scene.

Handheld:

• The camera moves with the action
• can make the viewer empathize with the character
• Can create tension

Filming Techniques:

Rule of thirds:

• If a noughts and crosses grid was drawn upon a scene the interest points would be where the lines cross.

Golden Mean:

• If you drew a diagonal line across the scene the points of interest wshould be along that line.

Transitions:

Dissolve:

• This is where one shot dissolves into another
• it can show time passing

Fade in/Fade out:

• Can help to show time has passed.

Fade to black/white:

• Can be used for flashbacks if used quickly.
• can create a sense of panic or build up tension.

Cross Cutting:

• Can show parallels and contrasts
• Like in Quantum of Solace ( the James Bond Film) it can be used to show two scenes which are happening at once
• Can build up tension and also gives us more info.

Wipe:

• A shot wipes across another shot
• Can look messy and unprofessional if not done correctly or badly timed.

Jumpcut:

• This is a very very very fast cut and can show a scene ending.

Match on Action:

• Cuts match action.
• A view of a dog walking down the stairs from behind...
• CUT
• A view of the dog taking the same step from the front ( the fluidity is very important you can have the dog jumping down a few stairs even though its walking)

Sound:

Digetic Sound:

• Heard on location and recorded on set.Includes most speech and normal background noise.

Non-Digetic:

• Added after filming, so includes soundtrack, sound effects and anything else added on after/

Horror Movie Poster

In media we were assigned a piece of homework  to design a poster for a movie, any movie, any genre. I chose to do a poster based on a horror movie as it links in with the topic of what we would do later on which is thriller movie openings. I used photoshop to layer images on top of each other and this was influenced by movie posters like Shutter Island  and The Woman in Black