'Heavenly Creatures' Analysis (1:08 - 7:32)

‘Heavenly Creatures’ directed by Peter Jackson, starring Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey, came out in 1994. The film is based on a true story in New Zealand, about two close friends, Pauline and Juliet who decide to kill Pauline’s mother, as revenge for trying to split up their obsessive and intense relationship.

The scene starts with the two girls preparing the murder prop, as they wait nervously for the time to pass. The dad is seen as the protector of the group, and once he is gone, the mother has no protection. Consistent cuts to the clock, suggest that time is nearly over for the mother. The mother is shown, and then the camera zooms in on the clock once again. This suggests that there is a relationship between the clock and the mother. The clock acts as some kind of time bomb, and when it hits its end, there will be death.

The shot of the bus approaching upon the horizon, shows how peaceful and elegant the area is, it does not connote danger or fear, but connotes relaxation and tranquillity. The shot inside the bus shows the two girls together, with the mother alone. This could suggest that the mother is connected to loneliness, and she is unknowing of what is about to happen.



Pauline is desperate to get the murder over with, but her mother takes them to a coffee shop. This shot shows how impatient Pauline is, and builds up her anger, ready to be taken out on her mother. Once again we get the zooming in of the clock, hours have passed and it’s getting even closer to the murder. Once they are out of the coffee shop, the girls decide to go on a walk in a narrow path, the mother naturally follows. The narrow path suggests that the place is claustrophobic; there is no escape from death, the time is nearly up, the time bomb is about to go off. The constant cut to cut between each of the girls, develops security for one another, as they are both playing an equal part in this horrific murder. The mother is shown after the two girls, this could suggest that she is the victim; the odd one out. Consistent views of the pathways earth suggest filth and grime. The diegetic sound of the calming music adds tranquillity, and makes the audience feel relax, but what they don’t know, is that the murder is about to take place.

Yet another shot of a clock, suggests that time is up, there is no escape from the narrow, claustrophobic, dirt covered path. The murder weapon is then revealed, a brick inside an old stocking. The time is up, the time bomb is about to go off. As the mother is being killed, there are flashbacks, suggesting the reason behind this murder. The constant flashbacks strengthen the anger felt by each of the girls, which is brutally taken out on the mother.

'Essex Boys' Analysis

Essex Boys was released in 2000, directed by Terry Windsor, starring Charlie Creed-Miles and Sean Bean. It’s based on a true story about three drug dealers and their events.

The scene starts in garage, a place of dereliction and unpleasantness. This is an example of ambient lighting, it’s dark and gloomy, and the darkness heightens the sense of alienation and fear, which is commonly used in thriller films. Once the light comes on the audience see the cob webs. The cob webs suggest dereliction and unpleasantness. It then cuts to a medium shot of Sean Bean (one of the main characters), with dialog. The dialog is significant in this scene, as he says he would give bestiality a ‘swerve’, which is the complete opposite to what actually happens. It cuts to a point of view shot of Jason Locke (another one of the main characters). The body language of Jason suggests that he is in power, and that it’s his area. The wiping of the windscreen may be similar to the wiping of a clean slate, and starting fresh, after Jason’s imprisonment for armed robbery, almost starting a new reason to be imprisoned again. It then cuts to a close up of Jason; this develops a relationship between the audience and Jason, and enforces the role of main character.

There is a vanishing point, to which the pair are vastly approaching, with a non-diegetic soundtrack in the background, building up suspense for what is about to happen. The vanishing point highlights the place of danger, of which the pair is driving into. Yet another vanishing point is shown, which again emphasizes the danger of which is yet to be established. It then cuts to a medium close up of Jason with his hands behind his head, he seems calm and focused, and this could suggest that he is arrogant and ignorant. The audience then see the light reflection made to look like prison cell bars. This suggests that Billy is trapped and can’t escape, but also suggests that he can’t see the trouble he is getting himself into.


The quick shot reverse shot of Jason and the man relates these two together. Because Jason is holding a chair leg, the shot reverse shot connotes violence towards the man. After the being beaten and having acid thrown in his face the man is flung into a white van. The white van suggests mystery and suspense, anything could be in the van and no-one would know or be suspicious about it. Jason realises there is acid on his shirt, his body language suggests that he is more worried about his shirt than the man’s face. This reinforces the fact that he is arrogant.

It then cuts to a swamp type area (the Essex marshes) on the edge of a deserted shore. The weather and dereliction suggests that this area is where the scum go. The man tries to wash his face, but Jason kicks him down, as if to say that this area is his place; Essex is Jason’s palace. It cuts to an extreme long shot of the white van driving away, leaving the acid covered man in the middle of nowhere, and shows just how deserted the place is, and suggests there is no way out for the man.

‘Essex Boys’ can be compared to ‘Animal Kingdom’, because it is an example of survival of the fittest, as the characters are trying to survive in the harsh environment.

Image Analysis 'Thelma and Louise' (1991)

Camera angle

This picture is an example of a medium close up, these develop relationships between the character and the audience. The camera angle shows one the main characters involved (Louise), and also shows the importance of the gun as a weapon. The camera angle also clearly shows the facial expressions. This intertwined with the medium close up, helps develop the relationship between the character and the audience even further. It clearly shows that the man is the victim, due to the gun being pointed to his head, but also the fact that he looks uncomfortable.

Representation of Gender

The is woman is the offender, but it is usually the other way round, this may suggest that the woman is a femme fatale figure, which is a generic convention of the thriller genre. The fact that the woman is under control also suggests that she has all the power and the man’s life is in her hands.

Lighting

This is an example of non-ambient lighting; the lighting is somehow dimmed, and unrealistic. There is a light source coming from the left side, which could be either a car headlamp or a door, which would suggest there was a witness.

Location

In a car park which is a typical murder location. This could suggest that there was a witness at the club.

Intertexuality

This shot can be compared to the Kill Bill sequel, as it challenges gender roles, and puts the woman in power, rather than the men.

'Witness' Case Study Analysis

‘Witness’ is a Thriller film directed by Peter Weir and released in 1985. The murder scene was filmed in 30^th Street station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It starts with a close up of the Amish boy named Samuel glancing up to the angel statue with curiosity. This creates a relationship between the boy and the audience, and suggests that he is significant to the storyline, as he is the first character we see. The boy stands out from the rest of the crowd; this is mainly due to the look of the Amish, with his black clothes and halo like hat.  It then cuts to the angel looking down on the boy, this may suggest that the angel is looking over him, and protecting him. The angel is also helping somebody, who seems hurt, this may be foreshadowing, because the boy is the only witness of the scene. An over the shoulder high angle near the angel, may suggest that the boy is vulnerable, which could also be foreshadowing, regarding what is about to happen. This shot is also a fantastic example of the rule of thirds, its two-thirds location, and one-third angel. This shot also shows the difference between the Amish culture, compared to other cultures, as the boy and his mother stand out from the crowd. The non diegetic sound relates to the holy imagery, suggested by the use of the angel, and the hat shaped like a halo.

The long shot of the mother and son sitting on the bench in the station is very significant. Firstly, no-one else is sitting near them; this may suggest that the Amish culture is somehow isolated from other cultures. Secondly at the vanishing point of the shot, the location of the murder is established. As the boy is walking towards where the murder scene will take place, his is stopped by his mother, who places his hat on top of his head. The hat is seen as the halo, from previous shots, and is linked with the angel, which is also linked to protection. The hat is then deemed as a form of protection. The strange thing about this shot is the fact that the mother allows the boy to go into the toilets by himself. This may be because she wants him to explore, but could also suggest that the mother isn’t aware of possible dangers in society.

It then cuts to the toilet, where the murder will take place. We see the victim of the murder, who seems reasonably harmless, and the use of a close up of the man, then a close up of the boy, links them together. I think this shot is another example of a vanishing point, the mirrors and sinks are directed to where the boy is about to go. It then cuts to a shot of the boy inside the cubical, but from an outside perspective, where we see just half of the boy, in between the gap in the door. It then cuts to another close up of the man realising that him and the boy aren’t alone. We then see an enigmatic figure, in the mirror. We did not see his face, therefore suggesting that there is no relationship between him and the man. It then cuts back to the boy in the cubical; who also has realised himself and the man are not alone. We finally get a close up of the enigmatic man in the mirror, who seems to be the ring leader of the murder, and nods, to his accomplice. Then we see a shot of all three men in the cubical, this could link the men in some way, and may suggest that something is about to happen. We see another enigmatic figure, who is thought to be the accomplice. Just as the accomplice raps the shirt around the man, we hear non diegetic sound again. This time it is fast paced, to increase the tension, and also get the viewers attention. As the murder is about to happen, there is a zoomed close up of the boy looking at what is happening, he has become the “witness”. We then see a point of view shot from the boy's perspective; this contains the rule of thirds, one-third mirror, and two-thirds murder. The volume of the sound is increased to raise the tension even more. Once the murder is over, the ring leader seems quite laid back, as he washed his hands in the sink, straight after the murder, he’s acting as if nothing happened. The man then hears the sound of the boy’s fright, and pulls out yet another murder weapon. As the man checks through all of the cubicles, the boy realises that lock on the cubical is undone; the sound becomes faster paced, as it is a race between the boy and the man.

We see a panning shot of underneath the cubicles, using ambient light outside of the cubicles and non ambient light inside the cubicles. The boy is then in a race to get into another cubical so that the man won’t see him inside it. The boy is then seen in another cubical, in a crucifix position, this may suggest that the boy may not escape death. In this shot we also see that the hat is off of his head, therefore the protection gone. It then goes quiet as the boy realises the men are going. There are a lot of head and shoulder shots of each character in this particular scene, this draws the audiences attention and puts them in that situation.

We then see a medium shot of the boy and his mother, after the murder. The mother acts as the protector, and replaces the hat. We then see another example of the rule of thirds, one-third black anonymous figure, and two-thirds main character. The main character is shown in front of blue ambient lighting, which may suggest that he is the hero. We immediately know that this man is the main character because he seems like the authority figure giving the orders, and is also played by the very famous actor, Harrison Ford. We then see a close up of the boy hiding away from the man, and then it cuts to a close up of the "hero", named Book. This immediately links the boy with Book, and establishes a relationship between the audience and Book aswell. Straight after the close up of the detective, we get another close up of the mother, which also links them together, which could be foreshadowing for what is later to come in the film.

 

What made 'Animal Kingdom' a marketing success?

‘Animal Kingdom’ was directed by David Michôd and produced by Liz Watts, and released in February 2010. The money was invested by a company named Madman, who’s films also include ‘The Future’ and ‘Melancholia’ ‘Animal Kingdom’s’ main marketing technique was to spread the knowledge of the film around social networking sites, such as Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook. Using social networking sites didn’t only increase the audience size; it also built a platform for a much anticipated release.

The actors include, Guy Pearce, Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Jacki Weaver and many more. These actors aren’t exactly the most well-known actors, which may suggest that this is an independent film. The most well-known actor in this film, Guy Pearce, is not sold in the trailer. This could either mean that they don’t consider Guy Pearce as a well-known actor, or that they chose to do it to enhance their marketing strategy, and increase the image of the independence of the film.

The budget for ‘Animal Kingdom’ was roughly $5 million AUD, which is incredibly low (considering it’s success), compared to similar films such as ‘Road to Perdition’ which had a budget of $80 million. So far ‘Animal Kingdom’ has a gross $6.8 million AUD, within a three month period, giving it a profit of approximately $1.8 million AUD. The trailer is one of the biggest influences of a films life; it’s what gets your films views. The trailer is a teaser of different parts of the film. ‘Animal Kingdom’s’ trailer is probably one of the best trailers, I and many of my classmates have seen. Using a very popular song ‘All out of love’ by Air Supply and the iconic animalistic features, the trailer is what truly helped this film get where it is now. They use reviews in the trailer from newspapers and articles, and mention that it was the winner of the world cinema jury prize in the Sundance film festival in 2010. The combination between a well loved song and an appropriate trailer sequence meant that ‘Animal Kingdom’ was an incredible success, despite a few minor issues, such as the budget that it was produced with.

Shot List for Our Thriller 'Marked'

• A high angle shot of the boy sleeping in his bed.
• The boy hears the gunshot and jerks bolt upright.
• A medium close up boy walking out of the room.
• A swizzle panning shot of boy walking out of the room into the hall.
• Medium close up of boy walking down the hall checking rooms.
• Point of view shot of boy looking into parent's room.
• High angle shot of boy walking halfway down the stairs.
• Low angle of boy walking down the rest of the stairs.
• Point of view shot of the television buzzing, and father's head.
• Close up of father's head, and boys hand, nudging father, reveals wound
• Extreme close up of crest on father's neck
• Medium close up of boy running outside the house
• Over shoulder shot of enigmatic figure in boy's bedroom
• Over the shoulder shot of enigmatic figure in the car

Brief Synopsis of Our Thriller, 'Marked'

Our Thriller is going to start with a boy asleep, you will then hear a gunshot, he then jerks bolt upright. After hearing the noise the boy goes to investigate. He checks some of the rooms including his parent’s room. The bed covers are ruffled up, as if his parents had been there not long ago. He establishes that nothing is wrong upstairs and decides to pursue the problem downstairs. As he is walking down the stairs, he hears the sound of the fuzzing television; he goes in to investigate, finding his father lying on the couch. As he goes to wake him up, the dads arm reveals that he has been shot, this also reveals some sort of crest on the father’s neck. The boy panics and runs out of the house to look for help. As the boy is running, it cuts to an enigmatic figure looking out of the window of the boy’s room, and then shows the crest on the man's neck. The boy runs around the corner, to be welcomed by car headlights, the car seems to almost be waiting for him. It then cuts to a shot of inside the car, which shows another enigmatic figure, with the same crest. The boy is then silhouetted, and then it fades to black and reveals the title, 'Marked'. We decided to call it 'Marked' because of the mark on the enigmatic figures neck, which would link the father to the figures. We decided to leave it on a cliff-hanger, with the shot inside the car, because it then gets the audience to think about who the enigmatic figures were, and who killed the father, the furthermore, what did the crest mean, was it a gang?

'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' Analysis

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, was released on 16th September 2011 in the UK. 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' is mainly directed at the European audience, as it was funded by a European company Studio Canal, based on a book written in the United Kingdom, by John le Carré and directed by an award winning European actor Tomas Alfredson. Tinker Tailor was hyped up to be one of Working Titles most amazing films, but so far has been a slight disappointment. Tinker Tailor is set in the early 1970s during the cold war, when the head of British Intelligence, Control finds out that someone he trusted was actually part of the Russian Embassy. Control then goes on a mission to find out who this person was. The funding 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' was rejected by Universal Studios, and Working Title had to look elsewhere to fund their film. Working title had to look to France, for funding, joining up with Studio Canal. 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' the film is based on a best-selling novel, by John le Carré. A lot of things seem appealing, such as the fact the film was on a best-selling novel, and it's many a-list actors, including the names, Gary Oldman, Benedict Cumberbatch and Colin Firth.

Thriller Films / TV Drama's I have seen

Spooks -
A British television drama, consisting of 10 series, aired on BBC One. Kudos and BBC made it clear that series 10 was going to be the last series. The final episode ended on the 23rd October.

The Experiment -
The Experiment is a film about Phillip Zimarbo's research into to psychology. Research was conducted to test how people reacted to being assigned to certain roles, in this case Guards and Prisoners. This is an incredibly important piece of psychological research, and has come under a lot of criticism. This is my favourite film ever; I’m taking psychology for A-Level and find this film incredibly interesting.

The Bourne Trilogy -
The Bourne films are a series of dramatic films based on a character played by Jason Bourne, played by Matt Damon. The trilogy included, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum.

X-Files -
X-Files has elements of the thriller genre, but is mostly known as science fiction film. It follows the stories of FBI agents, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, as they investigate X-File cases, involving paranormal phenomenon’s. X-files contains lements of Thriller but is generally seen as a science fiction movie.

How are new Technologies affecting the ways in which we consume Films?

How are new Technologies affecting the ways in which we consume Films?

As studies show, the majority of the United Kingdom prefer to watch films at home (Home Entertainment) rather than watching it at the cinema. This shows that people would rather be in the comfort of their own home, instead of having to go out to go to the cinema. Films on television are become more and more available, and with the likes of catch up services also becoming popular, going to the cinema is dropping to the bottom of the pile of the list of things to do. There is also a massive gap of the consumption of films for the generations. The older generation are less likely to go out to watch films, than the younger generation are. As catch up services such as BBC iPlayer and ITV player are becoming more popular, there is less of need to go out, when you can watch films in the comfort of your own home. This also helps because there would be no need to pay, as catch up services are free.

 

Due to the advances in technology, piracy is becoming an increasing issue. Now that deficits such as the credit crunch are present, people just don’t have the money to buy films, or watch them at the cinema; therefore they resort to illegally downloading films. Due to the new advancements in technology, the volume of video sales has dramatically dropped. This has meant that the value of videos has also dropped. This may be because watching them on the TV or downloading them is easier. If people know that they can get a video for free, then nine times out of ten they will download it, they won’t go out and rent it, because it’s too much effort. Because videos are easily accessible now on the internet, human nature takes over, and persist that if something’s free, get it. New technologies, such as HD video, allow people to see exactly what they would see if they were to go to the cinema, but they would have to pay instead.

 

Home entertainment is becoming increasingly popular, therefore demands are much higher. One example of this is digital TV. Because so many channels are accessible, there are lots of films to choose from, there are even specific channels for movie watching, such as Sky Movies. Also, due to being able to record television helps you to watch things later or another day.

 

As the year’s progress, video on demand (VoD) is becoming increasingly popular online; this is because of illegally downloaded films. Due to digital / multichannel TV become more popular, the use of terrestrial TV no longer exists. Because people are busy doing other stuff like work, they just do not have the time to sit and watch a film. This is where video on demand helps. It is easy for you to record using, recording software already featured in your freeview / virgin / sky box. This means that you can record films when you’re at work, and when you come home and have some free time, you can watch what you recorded. Online video on demand has increasing in popularity; this may be due to more advanced technology. You can watch films on your phones, iPods, gaming consoles and many, many more.

New technologies are affecting the way we consume films, from illegal downloads to video on demand. Technology advances everyday, it’s a never ending process. Soon we will be forgetting about terrestrial TV, and every home will contain a Sky box. Unfortunately there isn’t much we can do about piracy and illegal downloads other than jailing those who do it. The world will keep developing, and we can’t change that. Before we know, we’ll be watching TV in 3D constantly, in our own home, and terrestrial and pay per view TV will no longer exist. But until then, home entertainment seems the best option.