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