Scene Analysis - Bank Robbery Scene - The Dark Knight (2008)

Chttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OYBEquZ_j0

In the bank robbery scene from The Dark Knight there is a large use of Mise-en-scene to convey the characters in shot. It shows who is good and who is bad.

This extract expresses Mulveys theory of 'Male Gaze' in the sense it is from a heterosexual male's point of view, it is from the point as if the viewers are one of the bank robbers. By doing this is will hugely appeal to the target audience through the use of Mise-en-scene as it's conventions of character and storyline primarily will target young/ middle ages men. This can be expressed though their use of over the shoulder shots and long shots. This conforms to not only the thriller genre but to how media is represented in general. 

The use of setting is stereotypical for a film of the thriller genre. The urban setting is used highly as it's immediate connotations are that a city is busy and full of action; very popular among crime thrillers, such as the Dark Knight. A similar film which use this kind of location of effect would be Jake Reacher. Additionally making a bank scene the primary location of the film immediately conveys character types, it is obvious that the masked men are bank-robbers i.e. the 'bad guys'.

The use of the masks in this scene is highly effective and alternatively ironic. By having a clown mask for such a task as robbing a bank it unusual and in some cases 'funny'. This is not something you would expect from people robbing a bank as they are hidden but also stand out. It also adds a sense of enigma to the scene as we do not know who is behind the faces. We assume from the use of hidden identity and their reckless behaviour that they are the villains according to Propp's character types. People who are familiar with the Dark Knight movies may identify the characters to a villain as henchmen from their costume.

Continuing with the costume of the villains they are all wearing similar purple suits. This is to help identify they are with the villain (purple being the Joker's iconic colour). Purple connotates Wealth, Money, riches, royalty, all things which link in with the style of robbers (i.e. the Joker's theme). Additionally it symbolises  power, mystery and ambition all things which link to that particular villain. The colour purple is a very rare colour in nature; some people consider it to be artificial, maybe suggesting that not everything is as it initially seems.

Generally there is Masculine theme, they are primarily male characters in the scene and are armed with guns as well as explosives; the guns represent power and authority by the masked villains. Again this will appeal to the audience as these movies are watched to see characters such as criminals and their perception of the law. People watch film such as the Dark Knight as they get a sense of a side of life they do not ordinarily experience additionally they enjoy seeing people being brought to justice especially by a vigilante type character such as Batman (the hero).

As this is early on in the film there is a use of the backing track to create an atmosphere of equilibrium - according to Todorov's narrative structure. However the music is also a ticking noise which suggests that something is about to happen, it is used to create a source of tension so that the viewers of the film are being pro-active to see what is going on in the city. The use of diegetic sound i.e. the breaking of glass represents the disturbance in equilibrium  as it is where the tone of the film changes. It goes from a state of equilibrium to disequilibrium and ultimately chaos. We can tell this from the change in the sound of music and that the camera diverts from introducing the city to following the story of the bank robbers.

Primary Research - Audience Analysis

The survey was distributed on Wednesday the 11th of November. The survey was conducted on survey monkey as it was easy to send to people as well as collect the results. From doing it in this format it has been very beneficial with a total of 56 replies. Analysed on the 8th of December (see primary analysis task). Media g321 audience research
Example of my questionnaire can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NFHJYZC

Preliminary Task

This is our preliminary task in which we have attempted to convey thriller stereotypes. Throughout the task, we encountered many filming/uploading failures. We had technology difficulties and ended filming four separate times and this meant we were rushed for editing of the task. To incorporate the conventions of the thriller genre, we used a variety of camera angles to represent power between the two characters. We created enigma by using this technique as the audience are unsure of which Propp's character types are represented by each character as the narrative unfolds. This alone intrigues the audience and creates a feeling of suspense and mystery, this is paired with the use of the non-diegetic sound to put emphasis on the tension represented in the clip.      

Thriller Plan: Theo, Russell, Jake

Narrative/Plot

The thriller opening sequence follows a rave taking place in outside with a large group of teenagers with one main girl, strobe lights and music but a strange abnormal man is seen in the background wearing all black and a hood. The interweaving narrative cuts to the hooded figure dropping the girl into a car's boot and then driving to the coast where he drags her body along the sand to the sea. It carries on cutting back to the party through certain sounds and the same camera angles. Finally, the girl is thrown into the sea.

Camera angle examples

Long shots of the beach scene where the tracks are followed and time is skipped.
Close up of girl's face cutting between the party and her dead body being dragged.
Over the shoulder shot of the man dragging the girl.
Two shot of villian and victim at the party.
Canted angle of dragging along sand.
P.O.V of dragging and car but but also partying.
Birds eye view which rotates into other situation.


Costumes
The man is seen wearing all black clothes as this colour has connotations of evil, mystery and death.
The woman is seen wearing colourful party clothes which are mainly red.
Dress is covered in mud and blood because of the struggle which the audience do not see.


Props

• A car and the use of its boot.
• Strobe lighting.
• Alcohol and food for the party.

Setting

The party is to be filmed outside in a garden.
We shall specify the beach nearer the time but it will probably be Cromer.
Party scenes will be shot at night.


Sound

Non-digetic sound includes a tense whining sound of strings such as the Batman Dark Knight opening sequence.
There will be no digetic sound as it will look much cleaner and add tension with no dialogic either because this is stereotypical of thrillers.

Actors

• One large, scary man.
• The victim who is a teenage girl.
• 8 party extras who are teenagers.

We will mostly be using the GoPro to film as P.O.V shots will look very clean and it is very easy to move around and allows us not to borrow a school camera. Also, we can use it in the sea to get good angles and it can be put on a pole to get obscure angles.

Skyfall Opening Scene Analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4gdhsVKTcs

In this opening sequence we see a lot of gender representation, most notably in the first few seconds we see Bond fall into the water being pulled down into the darkness by a woman's hand, in this shot we see that the hand is much bigger than him. This is a representation that classically in the bond films although the men have the power they are easily controlled by women and their desires. It suggests that women are the corruption of men, this is shown by him being taken into darkness. Although you could argue that since he is drowning the female hand is actually his saviour from death.

In this shot we see cardboard cut-outs of Daniel Craig in the style of a target, the target has a wound on his right shoulder which is significant to the film as it is the symbol of his struggle for ideal health and is represented through  a new start for Bond. It is interesting that they show him as a target since this is how the villain considerer the character. The target comes towards the viewers making the sequence more interesting, it keeps their minds active as to what is going on as throughout the opening credits each mini scene is foreshadowing future events in the movie. The shot zooms in to the wound on the target, this is like we are seeing inside the hero's story. In the sequence the protagonist (James Bond) is dressed formally in a full suit and tie suggesting that this character has the capacity to make important decisions. In this case the fact that he is wearing a black suit (tuxedo) is typical for the hero (meaning Bond) to wear as he does in most films, it is the stereotypical looks for his character, the black for the protagonist is bold and dominant showing death to his enemies as well as confidence in his decisions. 

Dark and gloomy colours used in this shot are giving a sense that it in the past or a nightmare. The use of a dark blue connotates sadness and upset. The use of knives coming down from the sky shows the masculinity of the trilogy with each knife representing a past James Bond character which we then the shot pan over and zoom in where CGI is used to transform the daggers in to gravestones. These weapons are also naturally symbolic of betrayal deceit. 

The backing track to the scene is non-diegetic characters in the film wouldn't hear it, it is purely for audience reaction. The sound is the Skyfall theme song made especially for the film, the track acts as a narrator to what is going on the the film. This music gets much more intense as the credits come to an end awaking the audience for the rest of the film, it makes them want to see more of the film as it is immediately left on a cliffhanger. Additionally the increase in volume and intensity of the soundtrack suggests a disturbance in equilibrium  since both the opening credits and music is representative

in foreshadowing the events in the film. Visually this is through featuring locations of the film in the opening sequence for example the Chinese dragon foreshadowing his journey to China as well as a scene of a mansion with two deer's outside, this is foreshadowing the finale in the mansion where he was born 'Skyfall'.On the initially seeing this it would not become clear to viewers that these are the locations they visit however it then makes it seem recognisable later on in the film. 

Later in the title sequence we see Bond in an abandoned warehouse shooting down his own shadow, this is symbolic of his mental state throughout the film, fragmented and unsure of what it true. This on the other hands could be interpreted as him shooting his former self, something which he has to do in the film in order to become stronger and be 'reborn' as a better secret agent. 

The use of props is significant also to this film, one example being, the pistol with a silencer is a representation of Bond himself, these weapons add to the masculine theme of the feature.

The use of colour changes towards the end of the credits, this is going with the idea of tension mounting in the storyline. The colour goes from a dark blue to a red symbolising danger, aggression as well as passion. These are all things that fans and typical viewers would expect from a James Bond film. 

The fact that all these scenes are dark and blurred goes back to the idea of them being passed demons that have come back which Bond needs to deal with.

Godzilla (2014) Opening Credits Analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBQJjqnG1iI

In this thriller-opening scene for Godzilla it is unusual to conventional thriller credits. It shows what the movie is about however they way it does this is what makes it different. Instead of having actual people from the movie feature in the opening credits or in some cases CGI/ animation to make a scene this film used old styled footage and ancient anatomical drawings. By doing this it gives an ancient nostalgic feel to the film it is like the drawing are from a legend, drawings of what people thought they say thousands of years ago. This relates to the idea of it being Godzilla which has remained asleep underneath Tokyo for years. It also flicks through book titles, one of which is Charles Darwin's Origin of Species which of course those familiar with the film know that it is a mutant creature which would be unexplainable in regards to such as book. It also features news articles about submarines going missing and civil unrest all things which the creature causes. It is unusual that in this thriller the villain is actually a monster rather than a person or organisation, this for propp's character types could be considered unconventional. The hero's in this scene appear to be the military who are fighting to combat the 'villain' and save the city, which arguably could be regarded as the princess as the reward of it is the city being saved (as well as everyone living there).

Most shots used in this feature are standard mid-shots of the drawings however it also uses a birds-eye-view-shot to show the creature emerging from the ocean, this is used to give the viewers perspective of the size of Godzilla. Showing how everything else is insignificant compared to the enormity of the beast. By only showing the tail of the monster it adds mystery as it allows people to speculate as to what the creature actually is. It is also interesting looking at the camera style they have used in the scene all shots containing 'real' video is designed and edited to look as though it is old footage (like original setting of the film). You could say that the footage is similar to 'classified files' as though we as the viewers are seeing secret documentation. 

This is a long shot used to show all of the weapon (bomb). It is again used to show the entire thing, at first glance it is a nuclear weapon however it features a logo of Godzilla with a red cross around suggesting that it is specifically for defeating the monster. The colour of the bomb symbolises energy, caution, warning and most significantly decay which links in with the idea of it being a nuclear weapon.

The music in the opening credits of Godzilla start off so quiet it is hard to hear any background noise what so ever. Although as you go through the sequence the music intensifies and becomes more dramatic with loud noises and towards the end of the sequence we hear a man sounding a countdown (relating to the bomb) then we see the bomb being deployed, hearing it donate and go into the surroundings it then goes silent (with a slight ringing) and fades to white.

Jack Reacher - Opening Scene Analysis (Micro/ Macro)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SngDiZlqqKc 
(no sound on video)

In the beginning of this opening scene there is a build-up of tension, featuring around the assumed villain character, this shows that there is an imbalance of power between the criminals the the police, they are inferior and unaware of what is going on. This scene is accurate to a real life situation of terrorism in the film in which authorities have a lack of control over these situations since they don't know when such events will occur. The theme of the character could also reflect on recent events (current affairs) in America to which has had a large

debate on issues of gun control in schools, it is presumably gun enthusiast who is the sniper (possibly an assassin)  as it is clear he is a professional, this would conform to the idea of the man being a white American down to the setting (being able to freely have a gun). From the gunmen's stance with his sniper rested on the wall combined with the long procedure of setting up the weapon suggests that he is possibly ex-military getting his own back on the government as a protest against gun control and the rights to have guns in the US. We can also see that

from the first screenshot that the villain character is wearing white gloves, this again conforms to the idea that he is a professional assassins or even hit man either for personal revenge or as part of a larger organization. It is stereotypical for the villain character to be male in such crime thrillers. He is conventional in the sense that he is close shaven head and is wearing a jacket and jeans attempting to symbolize either a stereotype or to make them blend in. Although it is more common nowadays to have a female character to be a villain than it used to be they tend to have more stratified ways of murdering their victims (such as poisons) this scene in Jack Reacher with the character and weaponry suggests it is going to be a more masculine orientated movie. You could argue however that the character isn't conventional villain in the sense that he is not wearing the conventional colours of that styled character rather than wearing black he is wearing brown suggests practicality and intensity. It is also interesting to not that the (assumed) bankers/ politicians are all wearing black, since we are seeing things from the hit man's perspective this could suggest that he is seeing them as the evil beings rather than himself.

In this camera shot we get a clear shot down the gun scope at the businessman right in-between his cross hairs of the target, it is if you like a POV shot of the gun itself. This is a brief shot before a jolt in camera angle and the man is next dead on the bench, it creates heightened tension and in the build up makes the audience anxious at to who the villain is after. Through use of this camera shot it adds tension to the scene as we are seeing what he sees. It leaves the audience trying to guess who or what he is aiming for, with this shot the man goes over a few people again continuing the tension build up. The tension at it's highest when he then finds his target  this is the clear beginning of disequilibrium in the films narrative the man depicted with the gun is conventionally made to look like the villain as in this instance the person with the gun is set out to murder rather than protect.

The shot of the gunman's watch (brief as it is) suggests that he is organized and is waiting for a particular moment to strike, maybe when the police force is at its weakest or more likely when the target he is after is on a lunch break. The watch itself symbolizes time passing in the opening sequence intensifies the time it takes to get the targets, it makes the audience question what is going on, who it is the man is after, will the police stop him in time etc.

IMPROVED: Poster Analysis Kill Bill Vol 1

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Excellent work, Russell, in terms of the precise and well argued consideration of the technical and symbolic codes. In those areas, I would consider this a B with potential for a higher grade if all criteria were met (see HTI below). You have attempted to link some theories and used terminology appropriately, showing Good work in this area (C) . It was good to reference a different poster for the same film and compare.

HTI - again, reference to other texts has been missed - this is essential - so you must find other, older posters within the genre. I would suggest La Femme Nikita, because the other thing you must do is write about the gender representation issue, in the sense that The Bride is both stereotypical and unique. Can you, for instance, link the choice of weapon to the idea of femininity versus masculinity?
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Poster of Kill Bill Volume 1,

used on cinema release

Stereotypically, conforming to the thriller genre this poster of 'Kill Bill' presents the hero character in the centre and to the front of the image, making her more noticeable on a plain background. This establishes a relationship between the viewer and character in the poster early on before they have even watched the movie. The character is using direct address in the picture singling out the viewer, making it seem unique towards them, it looks as though she is judging you. On an initial glance the first thing you notice is definitely the bright yellow colour scheme, this colour symbolises energy, action excitement and most relevant caution. This use of colour represents the character known as 'the bride' suggesting that the antagonists should be cautious and watch out for her. You can also see a black strip along the background of the poster which symbolises power, elegance, death, mystery, strength and authority all these can also be applied to the character of 'the bride' as from the whole movie we learn very little about her only her reason for revenge. With the mixture of yellow and black it gives the image of a bee and it's stripes giving off a warning.
The tagline "A ROARING RAMPAGE OF REVENGE" adds to the excitement and intensity of the title of the film 'Kill Bill' it lets the audience get a better grasp as to what the film is about maybe even suggesting who 'Bill' is. The colour of the tagline is in red (capital) letters symbolising blood. This connotates pain, revenge, hatred, danger and alternatively romance which in the film we find out about the brides' relationship with Bill. To apply Todorov's narrative theory the title of the movie suggests that it is already in a state of disequilibrium in which the protagonist (the bride) needs to sort out for herself. Mixed with the name of the character and the idea of a 'rampage' gives off an unusual thought that a bride would be in such a situation, this suggests that with the film all is not what it seems.

The jumpsuit (also yellow and black) is designed like leathers for a motorbike – giving the character a rebellious and fearless look of nature to her. This combined with her facial expression gives her the image of power.


Another thing which is really noticeable is the character in the poster is holding a samurai sword (Katana), this relates directly to a, the storyline and b, to its director Quentin Tarantino who is renound for his love of Asian culture. The sword connotates power and authority. This could be considered a bit unusual to have such an item in a thriller movie, as the majority have high-tech guns. Some might also suggest that it is unusual for female characters to have weapons in this type of movie as stereotypically they aren't the hero. Most people would assume the style of weaponry to be very masculine (such as samurai fighting) although for those who see the film they will realise this is the main weapon used throughout.

Teaser poster of Kill Bill Volume 1,

used initially to promote the film

before release.

All factors which are featured in this film – it gives a lot away about what might relate to this film. In red is also ‘Volume 1’ which draws attention to this text and implies that this is the first of a series or the first instalment to this particular story, engaging the audience to maybe think about other sequels.

In this other poster (to the right) it has the same colour scheme as the final poster but this could be considered as one of the teaser posters before launch. The tagline on this one however related to the unusual style of the thriller with the words "HERE COMES THE BRIDE." this is similar to a play on words in which instead of it being used in the 'traditional' sense it is interlinked with the idea of revenge that the antagonist 'Bill' is suppose to fear her. You can see this in silhouette of the ninja quite clearly not the 'typical' bride.

Overall this poster is simple but effective, it is clean and streamlined, the simple bold colour scheme makes it easy to navigate as well as setting a picture in peoples minds (i.e. they will remember it in the future).

Poster from thriller

La Femme Nikita (1990)

Comparing Kill Bill to that of the movie 'La Femme Nikita' they portray women contrastingly. In Kill Bill they show the female character as a strong heroic type person with the weapon confidently being held by her, it looks like she means business and she knows what to do with the Katana. The Bride is in the stance as though the person viewing the poster should be begging for mercy in the photograph in the first poster she is clearly in control of the situation. Even in the second Kill Bill poster although this is not a real picture of her the silhouette is in a fight position prepared for combat.

Whereas if we compare these posters to the that of La Femme Nikita women are portrayed completely different. In the main image of this feature we see what is presumed the main character in a curled up position. They way that the gun seems huge compared to her suggests that she may not be fully aware on how to use it. It is also noticeable that she is not in the right clothes for a hero in a thriller, she is dressed in formal wear (a black dress and heels). It could be argued that the black dress is symbolising her elegance but it could also be argued that it is foreshadowing her future career as an assassin (i.e. death and mystery).

The shot that they have used in Kill Bill Volume 1 is a long shot used to show the full figure (outfit) of the Bride. It also allows the viewers to see all of the hero as to make early interpretations of the character. Conversely the shot used in La Femme Nikita is at the same height as the hero, it is still technically a long shot as you can see all of the figure however it is similar to a point of view (POV) shot making it as though we are there in the situation with the character, makes it seem as though we are hiding down there with her. She is looking at something, presumably dangerous behind is, this again can spark debate as to what it is she is staring at.

From the stance that she is in (bent hiding on the floor behind a wall) suggests that she is in a weak position looking up frightened as to who may be after her. For a female charter it is typical for Nikita to appear more vulnerable waiting for help (stereotypically from a masculine character). However this is unconventional for a 'hero' character as they are typically represented strong and prepared, such as the Bride in Kill Bill which for a female lead role is unconventional and unique both in the terms of style and story.

Poster Analysis World War Z

This is a poster analysis for World War Z. This poster conforms to stereotypical conventions of a poster in the thriller genre. The theme of this poster is chaos, in the image we see a post apocolypic world in which zombies have taken over Earth, the urban location is a typical element of a thriller movie suggesting action which is a mus have for all thriller movies (i.e. chase scenes, alley way fights etc.) In the foreground of the poster we see Brad Pitt who is the hero in the film he is positioned in front of the sun giving the illusion that the light is coming from him connotating purity, maybe suggesting that he is the hope for the planet, notice that he is surround by darkness possibly foreshadowing the demise of humanity (or the infection) closing in on him.

Unusually the character is on his knees kind of leaning over looking down on the city, this could suggest that he will have difficulty in restoring the equilibrium to the story. By being on his knees it shows weakness and vulnerability as typically the hero is seen standing up in a bold position ready to fight.

On the poster there is little writing suggesting that this is a teaser poster used when the movie is being previewed in cinemas. The use of the title is a play on words, even thought people are unlikely to have seen the movie at this stage they make it obvious that it is about zombie with the use of Z representing the word zombie. The white text of the title symbolises purity innocence and life with the contrasting red Z symbolising evil, pain blood and war, with the faded serif font it gives an idea of age and decay.

If we compare this to another recent thriller, the poster from the Purge it is very different in the since that if we look at the image for the other movie it is very usual and does not conform to typical thriller features. The idea of the poster is to mimic the the American Flag which is associated and can be understood by any audience, it suggests the location of the film. To people who have seen the previous movie they will recognise both the use of the flag and the amalgamation of the red stripes and weapons. The redness looks like graffiti being sprayed on to a canvas, suggesting criminal acts which is ideally what the film is about. The use of the tagline 'AN AMERICAN TRADITION' establishes time to the poster making the viewer possibly go back and watch the older film. The colours are patriotic again going back to this idea of it being a tradition (blue suggesting loyalty, trust, peace and authority).

The tagline for The Purge also suggests that the movie is one of a series, if it is seen as a 'tradition' then it suggests future movies as well; as oppose to World War Z which is more likely to be a one-off film. 

This does not have any character type featured in the poster which is unusual for a thriller, simply thought the flag suggests it is representing the whole of the USA as one.

IMPROVED: Poster Analysis Taken

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"Top work, Russell, a really thorough analysis that approaches the work from the viewpoint of key media concepts and names theories in places. In the inevitable second draft (everyone will do one), I'd need to see closer reference to the text as evidence, for example, how is the character representing authority? Are we sure he is representing authority, or would a more deviant (uses and gratifications) reading suggest otherwise? What evidence is there that the woman might be a donor (or maybe even a dispatcher)?"
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In the poster ‘Taken’ there is an overall theme of mystery, which conforms to one of the stereotypes of thriller movies. The poster overall doesn't feature any bright colours, giving the viewer the impression the character is likely to be in a serious ‘redemption’ situation.

The main image shows the protagonist. The image is central and in front of most items situated in the poster, this makes him stand out from the plain grey background.

The character on the poster conforming to thriller movies is the hero, possibly in this case a bit of a vigilante. The clothes the hero is wearing gives the idea of concealment and mystery through the dark plain clothes which actually goes against the typical image of a hero character in most films, combined with his profile of half of him in the shadows, this possibly suggests that there is more to him than meets the eye and again going with the idea of possibly a vigilante style character.

A main theme is this (and other thriller posters) is the use of weaponry in the photograph it portrays a masculine styled movie with the female characters situated in the background of the poster, by displaying this prop it immediately shows the genre of the film and allows the audience to build up expectations before watching the film. Perhaps if we relate to Propps’ character types she could be the princess, stereotypically the prize at the end of the movie if not maybe some sort of donor to help the hero along his quest as this is stereotypical for thriller movies i.e. this is how the mass population will interpret it, authority is represented positively, this borders onto the Marxism idea of audience models. Through the hero having his pistol half drawn this suggests and element of action and quite possibly a disequilibrium in the story which he hopes to rectify with the use of that gun. We could also argue that the hero actually looks quite deviant in this first picture with a look of gratification showing that he has some personal emotional happiness that he has/ or will fulfil his goal.

If we look to the back of the poster we see a woman (to the right of the hero) with a telephone to her ear, she does not seem distressed i.e. like a princess-type character but possibly a donor character to help the hero along with his quest by giving him/ aiding him with her personal skills or even a special item which will give him an advantage against the villain. Alternatively she could be the dispatcher who is the person setting the hero off on his mission however given that the movie is about a man looking for his daughter then it is more likely the hero himself is also the (self) dispatcher.

On the poster the creators use ‘expert witnesses’ as a way of promoting the poster calling it “the best action flick since Bourne” suggesting that the movie isn't necessarily your stereotypical action thriller, this in turn will engage the audience making it more attractive for them to go and see it.

The messages on the poster are a mixture of visual and written. Through the costume of the protagonist it communicates with the viewers of the poster the style of the movie. A message is also given across through the use of the bold words on the tagline such as “TAKEN” “HUNT” “FIND” “KILL” these words suggest deceit and murder all themes of a thriller that would appeal to their key audience as these films show situations which ordinary people wouldn't get to experience such as guns, fast cars etc. The specific words are in a different colour (white) so that they stand out, this also gives the audience a sense of how they link together including how they link to the story.

If we look at the second poser from Taken, this one is more likely going to be used for promotions after release as it quotes far more bout the film as the one above does. In this poster the character is again (stereotypically) up front and the only person featured in the image. What we see first on here is that the character is hidden behind the 'tagline' on the feature. The tagline reads "I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE... BUT IF YOU DON'T LET MY DAUGHTER GO... I WILL FIND YOU... AND I WILL KILL YOU" which adds to the atmosphere of the overall poster, combined with the minimal lighting gives a sense of grieving for his daughter, it makes you empathise with the character and hope that the can get her back. For those who have seen the movie it will be a well known phrase which is instantly associated with the first Taken movie. The colour orange is used for the title which instinctively draws attention to the name of the movie as this is a colour best associated with drawing peoples attention; it has high visibility (especially on a black background) and symbolises endurance as well as strength.

Comparing Taken to the poster from thriller classic North By Northwest it is varies in many respects. They are both similar by that they feature the main character in the foreground of the poster making them easily noticeable and connotates that they are the most important feature of the feature. However with the modern-day thriller Taken the use of colour is very different in the North By Northwest movie poster there is lots of vibrant colours appealing to the late 50's era whereas in Taken there is a desaturation of colour with darker colours e.g. greys and black combined with contrasting brighter colours to make certain aspects stand out. In the older posters they use full colour to make the whole thing noticeable, with the poster being in full colour it suggests maybe a more light-hearted style thriller possibly appealing to the whole family.

Poster Analysis Kill Bill Vol 1

Poster of Kill Bill Volume 1,
used on cinema release

Stereotypically, conforming to the thriller genre this poster of 'Kill Bill' presents the hero character in the centre and to the front of the image, making her more noticeable on a plain background. This establishes a relationship between the viewer and character in the poster early on before they have even watched the movie. The character is using direct address in the picture singling out the viewer, making it seem unique towards them, it looks as though she is judging you. 

On an initial glance the first thing you notice is definitely the bright yellow colour scheme, this colour symbolises energy, action excitement and most relevant caution. This use of colour represents the character known as 'the bride' suggesting that the antagonists should be cautious and watch out for her. You can also see a black strip along the background of the poster which symbolises power, elegance, death, mystery, strength and authority all these can also be applied to the character of 'the bride' as from the whole movie we learn very little about her only her reason for revenge. With the mixture of yellow and black it gives the image of a bee and it's stripes giving off a warning.

The tagline "A ROARING RAMPAGE OF REVENGE" adds to the excitement and intensity of the title of the film 'Kill Bill' it lets the audience get a better grasp as to what the film is about maybe even suggesting who 'Bill' is. The colour of the tagline is in red (capital) letters symbolising blood. This connotates pain, revenge, hatred, danger and alternatively romance which in the film we find out about the brides' relationship with Bill. To apply Todorov's narrative theory the title of the movie suggests that it is already in a state of disequilibrium in which the protagonist (the bride) needs to sort out for herself. Mixed with the name of the character and the idea of a 'rampage' gives off an unusual thought that a bride would be in such a situation, this suggests that with the film all is not what it seems.

The jumpsuit (also yellow and black) is designed like leathers for a motorbike – giving the character a rebellious and fearless look of nature to her. This combined with her facial expression gives her the image of power.

Another thing which is really noticeable is the character in the poster is holding a samurai sword, this relates directly to a, the storyline and b, to its director Quentin Tarantino who is renound for his love of Asian culture. The sword connotates power and authority. This could be considered a bit unusual to have such an item in a thriller movie, as the majority have high-tech guns.

Teaser poster of Kill Bill Volume 1,
used initially to promote the film
before release.

All factors which are featured in this film – it gives a lot away about what might relate to this film. In red is also ‘Volume 1’ which draws attention to this text and implies that this is the first of a series or the first instalment to this particular story, engaging the audience to maybe think about other sequels.

In this other poster (to the right) it has the same colour scheme as the final poster but this could be considered as one of the teaser posters before launch. The tagline on this one however related to the unusual style of the thriller with the words "HERE COMES THE BRIDE." this is similar to a play on words in which instead of it being used in the 'traditional' sense it is interlinked with the idea of revenge that the antagonist 'Bill' is suppose to fear her. You can see this in silhouette of the ninja quite clearly not the 'typical' bride.

Overall this poster is simple but effective, it is clean and streamlined, the simple bold colour scheme makes it easy to navigate as well as setting a picture in peoples minds (i.e. they will remember it in the future). 

Pulp Fiction Hamburger Scene Analysis

Close Up (0:42 mins)

In this scene of the Thriller Pulp Fiction Quentin Tarantino uses a close up shot on Joules. Through this shot it conveys the emotion that the character is feeling, in this particular scene we can tell that he is extremely angry possibly even slightly surprised at what is going on. From this shot it gives the viewer a sense of build up in tension and anger, as the first time you get to know the character it sets the tone for his ways later on (early expectations). You could suggest that the use of light on one side of Joules' face foreshadows his change in emotion/ direction later on in the movie (when he retires). There is no background sound (no dieagetic nor non-dieagetic) in this scene overall as this makes it more naturalistic (as though you are there) as well as creating a 'silence' tension when no one is talking, gives an ambient background; the only audio from this particular clip is dialogue. Joules and Vincent are the dominant (alpha male) characters in the scene, this is typical of movies for the 'villains' to be dressed smart... although in this film these aren't the generic characters. These characters represent the disequilibrium in the particular scene. 'Villian' characters Joules and Vincent in this scene are seen wearing smart black suits. The colour black is associated with power, fear, mystery, strength, authority as well as death; this likewise relates to Joules referring himself later on in the film as "the reaper".

Low angle shot (4:14 mins)

The use of this low angle shot is used to make us feel vulnerable (as though we are at the same level as the victim). It is clear that from this shot the character Joules is in control of the situation he is the one the angle shot is looking up to, giving giving him the authority. With the use of light shining on him combined with his stance and the camera shot it gives him a 'god like' appearance (possibly relating to his bible speech later on in the scene). With the distorted angle of the low angle shot it shows the imbalance of order in the movie at their particular scene, it also could also show that something is wrong with the scene (things maybe don't add up at this point in the movie). We can additionally look at the use of weaponry in this clip, there is a clear association between the hit-men (Joules and Vincent) who have the guns and those who are the 'victims' in the flat; they are quite obviously out matched. You can notice that the pictures with weaponry in this movie overall is as is typical for most movies (not just thrillers) for those to be very masculine scenes. The use of weapons sparks interest and action into a scene, in some genres it would be unusual for the characters to carry guns however in thriller movies it is considered typical and conventional for most characters to have these props.

View the full clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=PE9Qm8mShik

Poster Analysis - Taken

Poster for the first 'Taken' film.

In the poster ‘Taken’ there is an overall theme of mystery, which conforms to one of the stereotypes of thriller movies. The poster overall doesn't feature any bright colours, giving the viewer the impression the character is likely to be in a serious ‘redemption’ situation.

The main image shows the protagonist. The image is central and in front of most items situated in the poster, this makes him stand out from the plain grey background.

The character on the poster conforming to thriller movies is the hero, possibly in this case a bit of a vigilante. The clothes the hero is wearing gives the idea of concealment and mystery through the dark plain clothes which actually goes against the typical image of a hero character in most films, combined with his profile of half of him in the shadows, this possibly suggests that there is more to him than meets the eye and again going with the idea of possibly a vigilante style character.

A main theme is this (and other thriller posters) is the use of weaponry in the photograph it portrays a masculine styled movie with the female characters situated in the background of the poster, by displaying this prop it immediately shows the genre of the film and allows the audience to build up expectations before watching the film. Perhaps if we relate to Propps’ character types she could be the princess, stereotypically the prize at the end of the movie if not maybe some sort of donor to help the hero along his quest as this is stereotypical for thriller movies i.e. this is how the mass population will interpret it, authority is represented positively, this borders onto the Marxism idea of audience models. Through the hero having his pistol half drawn this suggests and element of action and quite possibly a disequilibrium in the story which he hopes to rectify with the use of that gun.

On the poster the creators use ‘expert witnesses’ as a way of promoting the poster calling it “the best action flick since Bourne” suggesting that the movie isn't necessarily your stereotypical action thriller, this in turn will engage the audience making it more attractive for them to go and see it.

The messages on the poster are a mixture of visual and written. Through the costume of the protagonist it communicates with the viewers of the poster the style of the movie. A message is also given across through the use of the bold words on the tagline such as “TAKEN” “HUNT” “FIND” “KILL” these words suggest deceit and murder all themes of a thriller that would appeal to their key audience as these films show situations which ordinary people wouldn't get to experience such as guns, fast cars etc. The specific words are in a different colour (white) so that they stand out, this also gives the audience a sense of how they link together including how they link to the story.

Camera Shot Types

1 . Extreme long shot
This shot is generally used setting the scene known as the establishing shot. It normally shows an EXTERIOR, e.g. the outside of a building, or a landscape, and is often used to show scenes of thrilling action e.g. in a war film or disaster movie. It gives a general impression rather than specific information.

2. Long Shot
The image as approximately "life" size ie corresponding to the real distance between the audience and the screen in a cinema (the figure of a man would appear as six feet tall). This category includes the FULL SHOT showing the entire human body, with the head near the top of the frame and the feet near the bottom. While the focus is on characters and their body language in the scene.

3. Medium Shot
Contains a figure from the knees/waist up and is normally used for dialogue scenes, or to show some detail of action. Variations on this include the TWO SHOT (containing two figures from the waist up) and the THREE SHOT (contains 3 figures...). Any more than three figures and the shot tends to become a long shot. Another variation in this category is the OVER-THE-SHOULDER-SHOT, which positions the camera behind one figure, revealing the other figure, and part of the first figure's back, head and shoulder.

4. Close-Up
This shows very little background, and primarily focuses on either a face, or a specific detail of a prop/ location. This shot magnifies the desired object and shows the importance of things, be it words written on paper, or the expression on someone's face. The close-up takes us into the mind of a character. In reality, we only let people that we really trust get THAT close to our face - mothers, children and lovers, usually - so a close up of a face is a very intimate shot. A film-maker may use this to make us feel extra comfortable or extremely uncomfortable about a character, and usually uses a zoom lens in order to get the required framing.

5. Extreme Close-Up
As its name suggests, an extreme version of the close up, generally magnifying beyond what the human eye would experience in reality. An extreme close-up of a face, for instance, would show only the mouth or eyes, with no background detail whatsoever. This is a very artificial shot, and can be used for dramatic effect. The tight focus required means that extra care must be taken when setting up and lighting the shot - the slightest camera shake or error in focal length is very noticeable.

Camera Angles
The relationship between the camera and the object being photographed (ie the ANGLE) gives emotional information to an audience, and guides their judgment about the character or object in shot. The more extreme the angle (ie the further away it is from eye left), the more symbolic and heavily-loaded the shot.

1. The Bird's-Eye view
This shows a scene from directly overhead. Familiar objects viewed from this angle might seem totally unrecognisable at first (umbrellas in a crowd, dancers' legs). This shot does, however, put the audience in a godlike position, looking down on the action. People can be made to look insignificant, ant-like, part of a wider scheme of things.

2. High Angle
Not so extreme as a bird's eye view. The camera is elevated above the action using a crane to give a general overview. High angles make the object photographed seem smaller, and less significant, scary or even distorted. The object or character often gets swallowed up by their setting - they become part of a wider picture.

3. Eye Shot
Neutral shot; the camera is positioned as though it is a human actually observing a scene, so that e.g. actors' heads are on a level with the focus. It makes the audience feel part of the scene, allows them to empathise with the characters in shot.

4. Low Angle
These increase height (useful for short actors like Tom Cruise or James McAvoy) and give a sense of speeded motion and authority. Low angles help give a sense of confusion to a viewer, of powerlessness within the action of a scene. The background of a low angle shot will tend to be just sky or ceiling, the lack of detail about the setting adding to the disorientation of the viewer sometimes making them feel vulnerable. The added height of the object may make it inspire fear and insecurity in the viewer, who is psychologically dominated by the figure on the screen.

5. Oblique/Canted Angle
Sometimes the camera is tilted (ie is not placed horizontal to floor level), to suggest imbalance, transition and instability (very popular in horror movies). This technique is used to suggest POINT-OF-VIEW shots (ie when the camera becomes the 'eyes' of one particular character,seeing what they see — a hand held camera is often used for this, could also be used in the sense that something is coming off of a camera which the protagonist is using.

Mise-en-scene in 'Watchmen' and 'No country for old men' (Comparing scene analysis)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNfWlt69WKI 

In the clip from Watchmen the scene begins with pitch black then going into a dark alleyway lit up solely by a contrasting bright yellow neon light, this foreshadows danger in the upcoming scene (represents the flame thrower). The vigilante character is wearing all black clothes, including a trilby hat. In the opening sequence the character is situated in front of a white light giving us a rough outline of his face, suggesting purity and that he is the 'hero' despite not acting in the stereotypical style of the character type. Overall minimal light is used in this clip to create a tense atmosphere in which the character thrives on to go about his tasks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLCL6OYbSTw

In the clip called 'Coin toss' from the from 'No country for old men' the most important prop is the coin itself. In this movie it has a different style of tension, this builds up over the course of the clip. Unlike the scene from 'Watchmen' it has no music making it silent (apart from when the characters are talking). The man dressed in all black is (stereotypically) the bad guy, or villain, everything the man behind the counter says he repeats creating an awkwardness between the two characters, this makes the audience wonder why he is there. The coin is a symbol of the balance of good and evil in the clip. It is the equivalent of the flame thrower in the first extract as it determines the fate of the victim and the result of the coin toss relieves the built up tension in the film.

Welcome to my Blog

My name is Russell Dewing. Hello I am a student at Reepham College. This is my blog created for the purpose of my A-level Media coursework. I am currently working towards my AS grade which involves movie camera shot analysis, poster analysis as well as creating my own thriller movie trailer.