I believe our filming may be a little too short to last a whole 2 minute intro, so we may need to use credits in between images, rather that alongside them. Changing to a black screen, and putting thriller font writing in white, may be the best option to help lengthen our opening, and give more of a suspense effect.
I think straight cuts will be the best transitions, as it seems straight forward and will not deprive the scene from suspense. We do however have a clip that starts with the effect of eyes opening, which may work as a transition from a screen with credits on, back to real images. Another transition that we may use is a 'fade'. This will be used very little though, as different transitions could make our opening seem cheap, and will ruin suspense.
Plenty of the sounds we are using throughout our opening are completely natural sound, but we also plan to have some non-digetic background music playing throughout. It will continue to get louder as the film progresses and become more violent. Added sound effects may be needed to finalize critical suspense moments in the opening, and help create the atmosphere needed.
The credits that seem most fitting, are white edgy effect writing, and a black screen placed between different clips of images we filmed. Colours of the images may also be change as we may need to alter brightness and contrast to create the conventional 'night-time' thriller opening.
The background music we have decided to use will be based on music that has already been produced, but will be changed slightly by Devante and myself as we will be performing two different genres to create a classic mood change in a thriller.
Now that the editing has been finished, we used many different techniques to help create a good thriller atmosphere, and also to help improve the plot and on screen images. Our biggest piece of editing was more than likely the sound. There were several occasions on which we either recorded the sound purposely to be separate from the images, so the sound was clearer and more effective. There was also a scene in which on screen there is a flashback taking place, and I did a voice over which was edited and fitted perfectly for the time signatures needed.
Another piece of editing that we used throughout the opening was math-on-match action. Its a skillful piece of editing that fits seamlessly into our film, and its a skill that would also go unnoticed by someone that didn't pay attention to different camera angles. It creates more of a 3D visual perspective that makes a scene appear more realistic.
Sunday, 23 December 2012
Characterisation
Our opening narrative includes only 2 characters. Our group felt that having less characters would make it less complicated, and easier to follow the conventions of the thriller genre.
We had a classic thriller villain. he was unidentifiable, but hints are given with things such as his face being in the shot, but out of focus, so we cannot tell exactly who he is. This is our unidentifiable menace.
The other character in our opening, is the cliche thriller genre helpless woman. The so called 'damsel in distress' is the typical vulnerable woman victim, that apparently can't fight back, but simply run. We feel these characters were the best fit to an achievable effective opening sequence. The male villain character shows dominance from the start of our narrative, as all the camera shots show the man as being at a higher level looking down on her. The victim is also tied to a chair, and has duct tape on her mouth, therefore she is not only scared and vulnerable, but she is unable to help herself in anyway.
Our opening scene has influences from each of the different theories. Theory #1 (Vladmir Propp) fits in with our narrative because there are 2 of the characters included that fit in with Propp's idea of the different roles in the characters. It then fits in with Theory #2 because of Todorov's idea of an equilibrium, and a disequilibrium. The equilibrium is seen in the planned flashback, and the disequilibrium comes when the villain abducts her. The narrative then fits theory #3 because of the idea of an antagonist/protagonist. The protagonist in our story is the unidentifiable menace.
We had a classic thriller villain. he was unidentifiable, but hints are given with things such as his face being in the shot, but out of focus, so we cannot tell exactly who he is. This is our unidentifiable menace.
The other character in our opening, is the cliche thriller genre helpless woman. The so called 'damsel in distress' is the typical vulnerable woman victim, that apparently can't fight back, but simply run. We feel these characters were the best fit to an achievable effective opening sequence. The male villain character shows dominance from the start of our narrative, as all the camera shots show the man as being at a higher level looking down on her. The victim is also tied to a chair, and has duct tape on her mouth, therefore she is not only scared and vulnerable, but she is unable to help herself in anyway.
Our opening scene has influences from each of the different theories. Theory #1 (Vladmir Propp) fits in with our narrative because there are 2 of the characters included that fit in with Propp's idea of the different roles in the characters. It then fits in with Theory #2 because of Todorov's idea of an equilibrium, and a disequilibrium. The equilibrium is seen in the planned flashback, and the disequilibrium comes when the villain abducts her. The narrative then fits theory #3 because of the idea of an antagonist/protagonist. The protagonist in our story is the unidentifiable menace.
Questionnaire Research
The opinions we got from our target audience (15-30 years old) was that the film should contain more gore than necessary within a conventional thriller film. Although the idea behind the interviews and questionnaire's was to take opinions and comments and apply them to our thriller opening, I feel the gore element of our film should not exist, as our thriller is based heavily on audience assumption, and that the story line should not be over described with visual effects.
We were looking for answers to our questions, as ones that would provide us with a greater knowledge on how to enhance more psychological factors into our opening. Things such as use of focus, and off screen sounds would help to produce some effects we may have been looking for, although I feel our questions were too broad for this, especially as some of the younger ages in our target audience were intent on seeing every gory detail.
The interviews proved more effective than the questionnaires, as we were able to let the participants elaborate further into their answer. Sometimes their answers were too vague, so through more of a cognitive typed interview, we were able to help guide them in a direction that may be of some use to us, and a way in which we could adapt our thriller opening. Between these questions, and some peoples comparisons to other thriller films, we feel that our thriller opening shall benefit greatly, from a range of different ideas that we may not have initially thought of.
We were looking for answers to our questions, as ones that would provide us with a greater knowledge on how to enhance more psychological factors into our opening. Things such as use of focus, and off screen sounds would help to produce some effects we may have been looking for, although I feel our questions were too broad for this, especially as some of the younger ages in our target audience were intent on seeing every gory detail.
The interviews proved more effective than the questionnaires, as we were able to let the participants elaborate further into their answer. Sometimes their answers were too vague, so through more of a cognitive typed interview, we were able to help guide them in a direction that may be of some use to us, and a way in which we could adapt our thriller opening. Between these questions, and some peoples comparisons to other thriller films, we feel that our thriller opening shall benefit greatly, from a range of different ideas that we may not have initially thought of.
Thursday, 20 December 2012
The Strangers Analysis
The scene we watched from the strangers shows many different editing and sound skills to cause tension and suspensse as we empathise with the main character.
The film uses Non-digetic sound by using background music to help boost the tension because of an eerie feeling in the atmosphere that helps the audience to connect with the woman.
Also, the camera does not cut whilst the masked menace is watching her. She is unaware, but the establishing long shot shows us exactly what is going on, filling the audience with suspense and fear. It puts us on edge because she does not realise what we can see. This is very conventional of a thriller, as it builds anticipation for an audience, and creates the very adrenaline that makes people watch the genre.
The villain is masked, which also creates tension as we are unsure of who he is, and the power he may possess. It also creates a mystery as to what they may want, and if they are there to cause harm. The conventions used in this thriller do a very good job of making the audience empathise with the main character. The masks that are worn by the female villains are very unconventional, as they are both white faces. White is not usually a colour associated with danger, or violence, it is a much more innocent colour that is usually used when someone is given hope, or has escaped. A reason this colour could be linked to the film however is through the idea of heaven. The colour white often represents heaven, and this could be the idea behind it. The male villain however is wearing a sack typed mask which appears to be quite conventional to thrillers, as it has been seen on a few other occasions, such as the Spanish thriller 'The Orphanage'.
The whole way through this film, each setting is lit by low key lighting. This prevents the audience from becoming too comfortable as we do not know where the villains may be, as a explained y the plot. The fact that the house is secluded it would seem from any other houses or neighbours, means that the lighting may also show a sign of no hope, or no way of telling neighbours that there are people home, but may be in need of assistance. This is one of the most popular thriller conventions - use of setting. They use the idea of isolation as a way to not receive any help, the fact they are unable to contact anyway, makes their escape that much more important, and also attracts the audience to be empathetic towards the characters, as the audience should start to think exactly how they may react in the said circumstances.
When the clips do appear to make a transition to another clip, it is a simple straight cut from one scene to the next. This makes it look more professional, and also allows it to not loose the momentum of the suspense to the audience, by using a cheap fade effect from one part of a chase to another for example.
The film uses Non-digetic sound by using background music to help boost the tension because of an eerie feeling in the atmosphere that helps the audience to connect with the woman.
Also, the camera does not cut whilst the masked menace is watching her. She is unaware, but the establishing long shot shows us exactly what is going on, filling the audience with suspense and fear. It puts us on edge because she does not realise what we can see. This is very conventional of a thriller, as it builds anticipation for an audience, and creates the very adrenaline that makes people watch the genre.
The villain is masked, which also creates tension as we are unsure of who he is, and the power he may possess. It also creates a mystery as to what they may want, and if they are there to cause harm. The conventions used in this thriller do a very good job of making the audience empathise with the main character. The masks that are worn by the female villains are very unconventional, as they are both white faces. White is not usually a colour associated with danger, or violence, it is a much more innocent colour that is usually used when someone is given hope, or has escaped. A reason this colour could be linked to the film however is through the idea of heaven. The colour white often represents heaven, and this could be the idea behind it. The male villain however is wearing a sack typed mask which appears to be quite conventional to thrillers, as it has been seen on a few other occasions, such as the Spanish thriller 'The Orphanage'.
The whole way through this film, each setting is lit by low key lighting. This prevents the audience from becoming too comfortable as we do not know where the villains may be, as a explained y the plot. The fact that the house is secluded it would seem from any other houses or neighbours, means that the lighting may also show a sign of no hope, or no way of telling neighbours that there are people home, but may be in need of assistance. This is one of the most popular thriller conventions - use of setting. They use the idea of isolation as a way to not receive any help, the fact they are unable to contact anyway, makes their escape that much more important, and also attracts the audience to be empathetic towards the characters, as the audience should start to think exactly how they may react in the said circumstances.
When the clips do appear to make a transition to another clip, it is a simple straight cut from one scene to the next. This makes it look more professional, and also allows it to not loose the momentum of the suspense to the audience, by using a cheap fade effect from one part of a chase to another for example.
Wednesday, 12 December 2012
Thriller Directors
Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock is perhaps Britain's most famous and highly regarded film director, yet he is best known today - even in Britain - for the films he made after he left the country in 1939 for a career in Hollywood. Films like Notorious (1946), Vertigo (1958), Psycho (1960) and The Birds (1963) attest to a skilful filmmaker who thoroughly deserved his reputation as the 'Master of Suspense'
"The silent pictures were the purest form of cinema" - Alfred Hitchcock
It is important to remember that Hitchcock began his career in the era of silent movies. His first nine films as director - between 1925 and 1929 - were all silent, and even his first sound film, Blackmail (1929), was begun as a silent, and was released in silent and sound versions.
The limitations of the silent form led filmmakers to develop a visual language to enable them to say with images what they could not using dialogue or sound. By the time of the arrival of sound in 1927 (later in Europe) this filmmaking language had become so sophisticated that sound was felt by some to be almost unnecessary. Others - including Hitchcock - felt that the arrival of sound meant that something was lost to cinema. Directors were no longer forced to tell a story using images alone, and cinema's distinctively visual storytelling suffered as a result.
Throughout his career, Hitchcock continued to believe in cinema as a visual medium. For him, dialogue and sound should remain secondary to the image in telling the story. This is not to say that he was completely uninterested in dialogue - he worked with many fine writers, and many of his films have excellent dialogue sequences. But it's true that when we think of Hitchcock we tend to remember images - the shower scene inPsycho (1960) or the handcuffed Robert Donat and Madelaine Carroll inThe 39 Steps (1935) - rather than lines of dialogue.
Alfred Hitchcock is one of the first names who comes to mind when talking about auteur theory. His most famous films are Vertigo, Psycho, The Birds and Rear Window. Hitchcock’s story telling techniques were renowned for their intelligent plots, witty dialogue, and the smattering of mystery and murder. He has been attributed with revolutionizing the thriller genre. The reason for his success, however, was not the genre that he was working in, but rather the skill which he exhibited in the film-making. ie his treatment of the subject in terms of the shots he uses and how he combines them are more important than the genre. One of Hitchcock’s best-known screen moments is the terrifying shower scene in Psycho. This shot features 70 distinct shots in less than 1 minute. They are fused together in such a way that it is difficult to distinguish between the Montage and the Mise-en-Scene.
M. Night Shamyalan
M. Night Shyamalan (born Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan) is one of the few blockbuster directors who lean in the direction of horror/suspense. Although his films often feature supernatural and otherworldly phenomena, they generally are not considered horror movies -- in part because they're relatively family-friendly affairs, focusing on plot and interpersonal relationships rather than explicit content. This clean, "classy" style of fright film-making has drawn comparisons to legendary director Alfred Hitchcock.
After his financially disastrous feature film debut, the comedy-drama Wide Awake, Shyamalan made his first foray into horror/suspense with 1999's The Sixth Sense. The modestly budgeted film about a child psychologist treating a boy who claims to see ghosts exceeded all expectations, becoming the second-highest-grossing film of the year (after The Phantom Menace) and garnering six Academy Award nominations, including Best Director.
The Sixth Sense established Shyamalan not only as a master of suspense, but also as a blockbuster filmmaker. It established his style of dramatic, personalized thrills, shaped by both his direction and his writing. Perhaps most notably, though, it established his slight-of-hand storytelling, which culminated in one of the most infamous "twist endings" in cinematic history. The twists would continue through Shyamalan's next few movies, becoming a trademark that would characterize his early career.
Studies that use focus groups have shown that Shyamalan is not recognised as a director, but he is for his films. This therefore does not give him auteur staus' as people are only really able to identify his pieces of work, not him in his own right as Hitchcock would be known.
In this clip from Shyamalan's 'The Village' we can clearly see a distinct style of thriller that differs greatly from Hitchcock's Psycho. In this clip, non-digetic background music is used as an additive, that promotes feeling within the scene, not just suspense. The suspense in this clip is aminly created simply by the images, and the reactions by the actors.
Alfred Hitchcock is perhaps Britain's most famous and highly regarded film director, yet he is best known today - even in Britain - for the films he made after he left the country in 1939 for a career in Hollywood. Films like Notorious (1946), Vertigo (1958), Psycho (1960) and The Birds (1963) attest to a skilful filmmaker who thoroughly deserved his reputation as the 'Master of Suspense'
"The silent pictures were the purest form of cinema" - Alfred Hitchcock
It is important to remember that Hitchcock began his career in the era of silent movies. His first nine films as director - between 1925 and 1929 - were all silent, and even his first sound film, Blackmail (1929), was begun as a silent, and was released in silent and sound versions.
The limitations of the silent form led filmmakers to develop a visual language to enable them to say with images what they could not using dialogue or sound. By the time of the arrival of sound in 1927 (later in Europe) this filmmaking language had become so sophisticated that sound was felt by some to be almost unnecessary. Others - including Hitchcock - felt that the arrival of sound meant that something was lost to cinema. Directors were no longer forced to tell a story using images alone, and cinema's distinctively visual storytelling suffered as a result.
Throughout his career, Hitchcock continued to believe in cinema as a visual medium. For him, dialogue and sound should remain secondary to the image in telling the story. This is not to say that he was completely uninterested in dialogue - he worked with many fine writers, and many of his films have excellent dialogue sequences. But it's true that when we think of Hitchcock we tend to remember images - the shower scene inPsycho (1960) or the handcuffed Robert Donat and Madelaine Carroll inThe 39 Steps (1935) - rather than lines of dialogue.
Hitchcock has clearly influenced near on every thriller director to appear after his most iconic work. Directors such as Christopher Nolan and Martin Scorsese have both looked up to Alfred's work and have formed their own style from some of the elements that originated from Hitchcock.
Alfred Hitchcock is one of the first names who comes to mind when talking about auteur theory. His most famous films are Vertigo, Psycho, The Birds and Rear Window. Hitchcock’s story telling techniques were renowned for their intelligent plots, witty dialogue, and the smattering of mystery and murder. He has been attributed with revolutionizing the thriller genre. The reason for his success, however, was not the genre that he was working in, but rather the skill which he exhibited in the film-making. ie his treatment of the subject in terms of the shots he uses and how he combines them are more important than the genre. One of Hitchcock’s best-known screen moments is the terrifying shower scene in Psycho. This shot features 70 distinct shots in less than 1 minute. They are fused together in such a way that it is difficult to distinguish between the Montage and the Mise-en-Scene.
M. Night Shamyalan
In this clip here, possibly the most iconic of any in the history of films, Janet Leigh's character is in the shower and is killed supposedly by Norman Bates' mother. This uses a different type of background music to Shyamalan's clip below, as Psycho's music enhances the intensity of the murder, as it seems to fit the heartbeat of Leigh. The similarity between them both however is the amount of different camera angles shown in each. Psycho does however use them a lot more quickly as it shows over 70 different camera angles within the short shower sequence.
M. Night Shyamalan (born Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan) is one of the few blockbuster directors who lean in the direction of horror/suspense. Although his films often feature supernatural and otherworldly phenomena, they generally are not considered horror movies -- in part because they're relatively family-friendly affairs, focusing on plot and interpersonal relationships rather than explicit content. This clean, "classy" style of fright film-making has drawn comparisons to legendary director Alfred Hitchcock.
After his financially disastrous feature film debut, the comedy-drama Wide Awake, Shyamalan made his first foray into horror/suspense with 1999's The Sixth Sense. The modestly budgeted film about a child psychologist treating a boy who claims to see ghosts exceeded all expectations, becoming the second-highest-grossing film of the year (after The Phantom Menace) and garnering six Academy Award nominations, including Best Director.
The Sixth Sense established Shyamalan not only as a master of suspense, but also as a blockbuster filmmaker. It established his style of dramatic, personalized thrills, shaped by both his direction and his writing. Perhaps most notably, though, it established his slight-of-hand storytelling, which culminated in one of the most infamous "twist endings" in cinematic history. The twists would continue through Shyamalan's next few movies, becoming a trademark that would characterize his early career.
In this clip from Shyamalan's 'The Village' we can clearly see a distinct style of thriller that differs greatly from Hitchcock's Psycho. In this clip, non-digetic background music is used as an additive, that promotes feeling within the scene, not just suspense. The suspense in this clip is aminly created simply by the images, and the reactions by the actors.
Psycho Shower Scene
The shower murder scene in psycho is probably the most iconic image of a thriller to date. Made in 1960, without any special FX, it was all created in black and white, and was very clever when it came to the stabbing itself. The knife is never seen actually entering the body and we also do not see any wound where the blood comes from, yet its still one of the most effective killings in film history.
The sound used in this scene gives a massive addition to the atmosphere's tense and suspense feeling. When she is in the shower, the clip is full completely of natural sound, there is nothing else going on, this works well when we can see the silhouette of the killer through the shower screen. As soon as the screen is pulled back, and the killer is a little more clear, the non-digetic sounds start. The background sound is the iconic screeching as the knife enters her body repeatedly. It becomes more intense as her struggle with the killer grows. It could be said that the screeching noise represents her heartbeat, as it gets louder and faster as she panics more. The sound starts to slow down as the killer leaves the room and she is left for dead. It's intensity and speed starts decreasing as she slides down the wall and grabs the curtain, it has then stopped by the time her body hits the floor, and natural sound returns when we see the images of the blood flowing in the bath.
The camera angles are another key point when it came to the production of this scene. It is claimed that the camera takes a POV of the knife, and this prevents us from seeing any blood and gore. There were over 70 different camera angles used when filming this relatively short sequence, and this is what is known as a montage. It is also said that when filming from all these camera angles, not once do we see the knife touch or impale Janet Leigh - This isn't strictly true. In three frames, the knife does actually penetrate her skin just below the belly button, it goes in about a 1/4 of an inch.
Another clever bit of directing from Hitchcock was that he felt filming in colour would show too much gore, so he decided to shoot the film in black and white to give more suspense rather than horror. He also understood that stage blood appeared grey when in black and white footage, so decided to use chocolate syrup to get the blood that goes down the bath into the plug.
The sound used in this scene gives a massive addition to the atmosphere's tense and suspense feeling. When she is in the shower, the clip is full completely of natural sound, there is nothing else going on, this works well when we can see the silhouette of the killer through the shower screen. As soon as the screen is pulled back, and the killer is a little more clear, the non-digetic sounds start. The background sound is the iconic screeching as the knife enters her body repeatedly. It becomes more intense as her struggle with the killer grows. It could be said that the screeching noise represents her heartbeat, as it gets louder and faster as she panics more. The sound starts to slow down as the killer leaves the room and she is left for dead. It's intensity and speed starts decreasing as she slides down the wall and grabs the curtain, it has then stopped by the time her body hits the floor, and natural sound returns when we see the images of the blood flowing in the bath.
The camera angles are another key point when it came to the production of this scene. It is claimed that the camera takes a POV of the knife, and this prevents us from seeing any blood and gore. There were over 70 different camera angles used when filming this relatively short sequence, and this is what is known as a montage. It is also said that when filming from all these camera angles, not once do we see the knife touch or impale Janet Leigh - This isn't strictly true. In three frames, the knife does actually penetrate her skin just below the belly button, it goes in about a 1/4 of an inch.
Scream
In the classic psychotic thriller 'Scream', Drew Barrymore is killed in the opening scene, but it is done in such a way, that it links you with the character, as the types of camera angles used are very personal with her, and the non-digetic music used is also a very good effect.
The start of the scene when Barrymore is on the phone to the killer, shows no real suspense or tension through different camera angles. The distress comes from the acting, whereby she is panicking, crying and pleading with the killer over the phone. A chair then gets thrown through the patio door windows, and she runs for the kitchen. As she runs from the room she was originally in to the kitchen, the camera doesn't cut, it just stays fixed on her and moves as she goes across the shot. It then cuts once she picks the knife up, and the camera then goes below her, becoming a low angled shot, and showing the scared emotion on her face.
She proceeds to walk backwards towards a door that leads outside. As she walks backwards, the camera follows her using a handheld shot. This is then followed by a very quick POV shot for a few frames, in which we see the killer run past the door frame in the distance. The handheld then continues as she starts to panic further, and look around for the door. once outside, the camera moves in the same sort of way that Barrymore does, as she closes the door as quietly as possible, the camera gives a very feint shake, and as she collapses herself slightly into the corner, the camera moves with her in the same direction, almost replicating her movements. As she shakes the camera does also, this brings the audience into the story, and helps to authenticate the atmosphere, and make people viewing it as scared as she is.
The camera once again reverts to a POV shot in which she is again looking for the killer. She spots him straight away, and immediately darts back so she is out of his view, but at the same time that she starts to pull back, we also see him move forward out of the shot too. We then see an extreme long shot, showing a car coming down the road, which brings her the thought of some salvation, and an end to the nightmare. After seeing the car, and checking the window again to see where the killer is, she sees him in the room, but not too close, so she decides to duck below the window frame, and briskly move forward, to try and help making contact with her parents in the approaching car. She then comes up to check the window once more, and as she does so, the camera angle reverts back to another POV shot, and we see the killer straight in front of us. There is then a struggle between Barrymore and the killer over the knife, and at which stage the villain is always at a higher point physically to show more power.
Once the Killer has attacked Drew Barrymore, and stabbed her, she then falls to the floor holding her wound. We see a high angle shot here, to show the dominance of the villain, and the helplessness of the victimised, 'damsel in distress'. The frames continue to switch between either a high angle shot of Barrymore, or a low angle shot of the killer 'Ghost Face' again representing a hierarchy of power.
Once again to involve the audience in this terrifying ordeal, when she is laying helpless on the floor, and her neck has been cut, the camera also lays on the floor, writhing in pain with her, and then it switches to the POV, which is upside down of her parents getting out of the car in the driveway.
When she gets up, and tries to get the attention of her parents as they enter the house, the most over powering sound is the non-digetic background music, which creates an atmosphere that appears to explain teat Barrymore will not be able to drag their attention to what is happening with Ghost Face. Int he next few frames once the parents have entered the house, it shows Ghost Face pinning Barrymore to the floor once again, and this time there is a lot of weapon focus, as she pulls his mask off, but the identity is still hidden from the audience.
Once her parents realise half the house is trashed, and that something that was cooking is on fire and setting the house alight, the camera then follows the mother as she panics trying to find her daughter. It doesn't cut in the same way that it didn't right at the start when Drew went into the kitchen. As the parents are on the phone, listening to the sounds of her dying, we see a shot in which Drew Barrymore is being dragged along off the screen, with the phone still in her trailing hand.
We then see a match on match shot, of the mother leaving the front door, and her focusing on something which is behind the camera once she is outside. She then starts to scream and go into hysterics, and the father rushes out. It shows a close up of the fathers face, and he runs towards the camera. This then changes the camera shot into a different kind of sped up, shaky POV, and zooms in on Barrymore's dead hanging body.
The start of the scene when Barrymore is on the phone to the killer, shows no real suspense or tension through different camera angles. The distress comes from the acting, whereby she is panicking, crying and pleading with the killer over the phone. A chair then gets thrown through the patio door windows, and she runs for the kitchen. As she runs from the room she was originally in to the kitchen, the camera doesn't cut, it just stays fixed on her and moves as she goes across the shot. It then cuts once she picks the knife up, and the camera then goes below her, becoming a low angled shot, and showing the scared emotion on her face.
She proceeds to walk backwards towards a door that leads outside. As she walks backwards, the camera follows her using a handheld shot. This is then followed by a very quick POV shot for a few frames, in which we see the killer run past the door frame in the distance. The handheld then continues as she starts to panic further, and look around for the door. once outside, the camera moves in the same sort of way that Barrymore does, as she closes the door as quietly as possible, the camera gives a very feint shake, and as she collapses herself slightly into the corner, the camera moves with her in the same direction, almost replicating her movements. As she shakes the camera does also, this brings the audience into the story, and helps to authenticate the atmosphere, and make people viewing it as scared as she is.
The camera once again reverts to a POV shot in which she is again looking for the killer. She spots him straight away, and immediately darts back so she is out of his view, but at the same time that she starts to pull back, we also see him move forward out of the shot too. We then see an extreme long shot, showing a car coming down the road, which brings her the thought of some salvation, and an end to the nightmare. After seeing the car, and checking the window again to see where the killer is, she sees him in the room, but not too close, so she decides to duck below the window frame, and briskly move forward, to try and help making contact with her parents in the approaching car. She then comes up to check the window once more, and as she does so, the camera angle reverts back to another POV shot, and we see the killer straight in front of us. There is then a struggle between Barrymore and the killer over the knife, and at which stage the villain is always at a higher point physically to show more power.
Once the Killer has attacked Drew Barrymore, and stabbed her, she then falls to the floor holding her wound. We see a high angle shot here, to show the dominance of the villain, and the helplessness of the victimised, 'damsel in distress'. The frames continue to switch between either a high angle shot of Barrymore, or a low angle shot of the killer 'Ghost Face' again representing a hierarchy of power.
Once again to involve the audience in this terrifying ordeal, when she is laying helpless on the floor, and her neck has been cut, the camera also lays on the floor, writhing in pain with her, and then it switches to the POV, which is upside down of her parents getting out of the car in the driveway.
When she gets up, and tries to get the attention of her parents as they enter the house, the most over powering sound is the non-digetic background music, which creates an atmosphere that appears to explain teat Barrymore will not be able to drag their attention to what is happening with Ghost Face. Int he next few frames once the parents have entered the house, it shows Ghost Face pinning Barrymore to the floor once again, and this time there is a lot of weapon focus, as she pulls his mask off, but the identity is still hidden from the audience.
Once her parents realise half the house is trashed, and that something that was cooking is on fire and setting the house alight, the camera then follows the mother as she panics trying to find her daughter. It doesn't cut in the same way that it didn't right at the start when Drew went into the kitchen. As the parents are on the phone, listening to the sounds of her dying, we see a shot in which Drew Barrymore is being dragged along off the screen, with the phone still in her trailing hand.
No Country For Old Men Analysis
The opening scene in 'No Country for Old Men' is quite unconventional of a thriller. It starts with a lot of landscape views, and a voice over. The voice could be linked as a stereotypical thriller voice, as it is quite deep, and the audience is unaware of his identity. The Sheriffs voice is a hallowing sound, that creates the effect of being almost patronising. The voice combines with the vast landscape pictures, to create a very isolated feel to the setting. No civilization can be scene in these landscapes, and with the character's voice over explaining about subjects such as hell, it makes the impression there is nowhere to run to.
The villain in this is introduced at 2:10, and is being walked into a police car, handcuffed. The villain is dressed in all black, which expresses evil, and warns an audience of upcoming danger. There is only these two characters present in this scene, and although the villain plays an vital role, we purposely aren't aloud to see his face. The villain is first recognisable at 3:20. This is after the audience have seen the back of his head, shadow in the car covering his face, and then being out of focus at the start of the police station scene.
When the villain gets up to kill the police officer, he walks up behind the officer, and his head disappears off the top of the screen. This shows the hierarchy of power in the film, by the fact that the villain is clearly looking down on his victim. He then strangles the man with his handcuffs, and drags him on to the floor whilst the officer is struggling for breath. Again once on the floor, the villain is higher up in the shot than the victim, keeping that feeling of power, but also the camera angle helps create a crazed look to the shot, which appears to match the personality of the villain. Whilst down on the floor, the villain appears to show completely inhuman not effected facial expressions. He seems almost expressionless which creates a feeling of uncertainty within the audience, which will help to produce fear and suspense throughout the film.
An unconventional part of this scene is that we do see some gore, and we also see some more in the next clip.
The last part of the opening scene shows a cars bumper POV, and then a quick sound of a police siren going off, with a car in front. The car pulls over, and the villain steps out of the police car, and proceeds towards the car that he just pulled over. He asks the man to step out of the vehicle and is once again at a higher vantage point to his victim. The way he speaks is again monotone and appears expressionless, which is unconventional to any human being, but adapts perfectly to a creepy thriller villain..He then asks the man to stay still, and shoots a powerful burst of air into his forehead, creating a clean hole in the mans head, he then falls to the floor. Once again this is unconventional, as most thrillers do not actually show gore, or murders, and it is more than likely that you do not see t he killer that did it.
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The villain in this is introduced at 2:10, and is being walked into a police car, handcuffed. The villain is dressed in all black, which expresses evil, and warns an audience of upcoming danger. There is only these two characters present in this scene, and although the villain plays an vital role, we purposely aren't aloud to see his face. The villain is first recognisable at 3:20. This is after the audience have seen the back of his head, shadow in the car covering his face, and then being out of focus at the start of the police station scene.
When the villain gets up to kill the police officer, he walks up behind the officer, and his head disappears off the top of the screen. This shows the hierarchy of power in the film, by the fact that the villain is clearly looking down on his victim. He then strangles the man with his handcuffs, and drags him on to the floor whilst the officer is struggling for breath. Again once on the floor, the villain is higher up in the shot than the victim, keeping that feeling of power, but also the camera angle helps create a crazed look to the shot, which appears to match the personality of the villain. Whilst down on the floor, the villain appears to show completely inhuman not effected facial expressions. He seems almost expressionless which creates a feeling of uncertainty within the audience, which will help to produce fear and suspense throughout the film.
An unconventional part of this scene is that we do see some gore, and we also see some more in the next clip.
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Wednesday, 5 December 2012
Filming Schedule
Our filming schedule was very useful, as it helped structure our time wisely, and make sure that we were able to fit things in with the time frames we had set.
Our problem came when I was unable to shoot on a lot of the days, as I have outside of school commitments that could not be cancelled. This created a numerous amount of occasions where we were unable to film as scheduled and delayed our estimated final scene being filmed by a few weeks.
In conclusion, we should next time look to plan the filming schedule so it is a little more flexible, or be able to sort out an understudy if someone is unable to make it to filming, therefore we would be able to continue as planned and our final piece will be finished and ready to edit completely in time for the date we set.
Monday, 3 December 2012
Creating a Mise-en-Scene
Lighting + Colour
In the abandoned gym we will use low key lighting from things such as torches, flares and cameras. This will create the key convention of little light in a dark, eerie, thriller scene. The gym that we will use to film the the hostage location, will be burnt out and contain destroyed props. It will be a fairly big open space therefore it would be good to spread small amount of light to create the atmosphere we need. There is also a side room that contains great manipulation of the environment, and will enhance our scenes in a positively good way, giving more elements of fear to our opening/
We will also be filming in the street and on a doorway when they are walking home and retrieving the letter from the doorstep. There will be high key lighting here because street lights give strong lighting from above, so we will work with this in such a way that it will suit the genre's opening conventions.
Setting
Our setting starts with the demolished gym side building, where our victim is being held captive. We then change our setting after a considerable amount of time seeing the two characters involved in the plot, in this room, to a forest setting. We see much of the forest shots from a POV shot, but also see a more broad perspective of it,w hen we see the victims emotion, knowing she is being followed by the captor. The idea of these two settings are that they create a feeling of isolation, show character resemblance of a classic thriller opening and have little lighting, creating a great thriller atmosphere.
Iconography
The iconography we will be using in our thriller opening are items that will help keep the hostage in her place of captivity. Things such as rope, a chair and duct tape will be used. Other things laying around in our location may also be used for effect. We will use a lighter (or possibly scissors) and pictures when the villain is looking through his past and current victims.
Body Language and Facial Expressions
Our villains role will be heavily based on body language, as it is planned that we should not see his face throughout the opening as this creates our 'unidentified menace'. Everything he does should be in a way that almost seems gentile, to provide a contrast to conventions and create a disequilibrium when communicating with the victim.
The facial expressions of the victim will do a lot to explain how the character feels in each frame, whether it be scared, angry etc.
Facial expressions will play a big role in the forest as well, as the captive will be running from the villain in the woods, and it will show a mix of emotions, from distress - panic.
The facial expressions of the victim will do a lot to explain how the character feels in each frame, whether it be scared, angry etc.
Facial expressions will play a big role in the forest as well, as the captive will be running from the villain in the woods, and it will show a mix of emotions, from distress - panic.
Costume, Hair and Makeup
The costume, hair and makeup will all be relatively similar to things you would see in real life. As the victim is getting ready to go out when she is taken, her makeup is as it would be if she had gone out, and the same with her clothes; the captor looks after her as there seems to be a psychotic passionate feeling for the victim. The victims hair may be a little messed up simply because she became unconscious and the villain may have ruffled it when picking her up.
The villain will more than likely be dressed in normal clothes, as it will help for him to avoid looking suspicious when knocking on the girls door viciously. The hair and makeup will not matter, as he will be unidentifiable, and his face will not be seen.
Group Storyboard
Our group narrative changed as our first one seemed unattainable because the idea was too complicated, varied too far from the conventions of a thriller genre, and there was too many actors needed to be involved.
It was originally planned that we would have a zombie based thriller. The characters that would have been used were a group of teenagers that had been invited to a party, that was false. It was really a place of experiment for a doctor turning people into zombies. This seemed to escape from any suspense, and also included gore, which doesn't necessarily get completely accredited with thriller films. Another concern was that it was telling the whole story within 2 minutes. It seemed to feel rushed, and although in our new narrative, it may seem rushed that she is already being held captive, and escapes within this 2 minutes, but many thriller films start with opening death scenes. E.g. 'Scream'
The amount of characters also proved a problem, as trying to direct 7 people as opposed to 2 means a lot more work and commitment from everyone, and also would have limited us to less time to spend filming the project. The last key problems were that we complicated the story too much to the fact that each of us individually were unsure of the true plot. Also the makeup to make a convincing zombie may have been too testing for us.
Our new characters didn't link directly with key thriller conventions, but some elements were there. Things such as the victim being a woman, created the stereotypical helplessness created by woman characters in thrillers. The villain was also wearing a black jacket, although he was not wearing black all over, this helped create a more realistic edge to our thriller, whilst also keeping the convention that there is some element of darkness in the physical persona of the villain, that links to the story line, and the portrayal of the captor. Our settings also created the perfect scene for an isolated thriller feel. Even when the victim escaped from the villains place of capture, it still appears as she is being kept hostage, as she can't reach civilization to find help and/or safety.
Our group came to a final decision of this story mainly based on the individual narrative I had already created which appeared to stick more closely with traditional thriller conventions and made the story a lot less complicated than the original idea we had and was easier to film.
This is our new narrative storyboard:
The amount of characters also proved a problem, as trying to direct 7 people as opposed to 2 means a lot more work and commitment from everyone, and also would have limited us to less time to spend filming the project. The last key problems were that we complicated the story too much to the fact that each of us individually were unsure of the true plot. Also the makeup to make a convincing zombie may have been too testing for us.
Our new characters didn't link directly with key thriller conventions, but some elements were there. Things such as the victim being a woman, created the stereotypical helplessness created by woman characters in thrillers. The villain was also wearing a black jacket, although he was not wearing black all over, this helped create a more realistic edge to our thriller, whilst also keeping the convention that there is some element of darkness in the physical persona of the villain, that links to the story line, and the portrayal of the captor. Our settings also created the perfect scene for an isolated thriller feel. Even when the victim escaped from the villains place of capture, it still appears as she is being kept hostage, as she can't reach civilization to find help and/or safety.
Our group came to a final decision of this story mainly based on the individual narrative I had already created which appeared to stick more closely with traditional thriller conventions and made the story a lot less complicated than the original idea we had and was easier to film.
This is our new narrative storyboard:
Friday, 30 November 2012
Opening Scene Narrative
The film starts with the woman who has been captured, tied to a chair in a derelict room. Her mouth duct taped and she is surrounded by burnt and trashed items. There is writing on the wall in blood that reads 'ONE DOWN'. This is a close up that then zooms out, to give a more full picture. IT will be low-key lighting if it is sustainable at this location. The props used here are a chair, rope and duct tape. There will be no change from normality with the make-up and costume, as the idea is that she has been kidnapped straight from getting ready for a night out.
The villain then enters the room, and slowly strokes her face, and speaks to her in a gentle, slightly psychotic voice. He makes it apparent that he has been clearly chasing her for some time. The villain then proceeds out of the room, to look at a board of past victims. Each of which have their pictures on a board, with crosses either on them or next to them. he then pulls a lighter from his pocket, and burns the picture of the current victim. Again there will be low key lighting as the lighter will then create a contrast when the flame lit picture is present. Props used will be pictures and a lighter.
With the captor unaware, the victim escapes the ropes she is tied to the chair with, and quietly leaves the premises and immediately proceeds to run into the forest. The villain then returns from burning the photo, and finds the chair empty and that she has escaped. The victim runs throughtout the forest, screaming for help to anyone that can hear. She then stops, out of breath and energy to continue, she hears something behind her and slowly turns her head. We see the villain standing closely behind her, as the screen then blacks out and a loud shriek can be heard. There will be high key lighting here, but the cloud coverage will hopefully make the scene darker, and more distressing.
The villain then enters the room, and slowly strokes her face, and speaks to her in a gentle, slightly psychotic voice. He makes it apparent that he has been clearly chasing her for some time. The villain then proceeds out of the room, to look at a board of past victims. Each of which have their pictures on a board, with crosses either on them or next to them. he then pulls a lighter from his pocket, and burns the picture of the current victim. Again there will be low key lighting as the lighter will then create a contrast when the flame lit picture is present. Props used will be pictures and a lighter.
With the captor unaware, the victim escapes the ropes she is tied to the chair with, and quietly leaves the premises and immediately proceeds to run into the forest. The villain then returns from burning the photo, and finds the chair empty and that she has escaped. The victim runs throughtout the forest, screaming for help to anyone that can hear. She then stops, out of breath and energy to continue, she hears something behind her and slowly turns her head. We see the villain standing closely behind her, as the screen then blacks out and a loud shriek can be heard. There will be high key lighting here, but the cloud coverage will hopefully make the scene darker, and more distressing.
Friday, 23 November 2012
What is a Thriller?
- The themes
The themes of this opening sequence in Saw 1 is a thriller/horror. The mood is set straight from the start of the clip, as it starts of dark, and underwater, with a glowing key being the only light source. The man then awakes from under the water to find himself in a dark and grimy place. This is a convention of a thriller, because it creates a sense of mystery. The audience also hears another voice from across the room before we see his face, creating once again mystery, and possibly fear within the audiences reactions. The lights are then turned on by the only character that has been introduced yet. this differs slightly to normal codes and conventions of a thriller as High Key Lighting is not usually seen in parts when things are meant to puzzle us. Once the light is turned on, the audience can see a dead body on the floor, covered in gruesome blood and gore. This is conventional to some of the more graphic thrillers, and this leaves the audience in suspense.
- Narrative
The narrative in this scene is very conventional to the thriller genre as there are characters that are introduced before they have been identified. Also, the suspense created by the dead body lying on the floor is also very conventional.
- Representation of characters
The characters represented are clearly ordinary everyday men. The first man we come across is in a bath, laying unconscious under water. He then wakes up in a panic and falls out of the bath onto the floor. His movements throughout this entire scene seem very representable of a realistic reaction. He then starts to cry for help, again very realistic, but maybe something with less of a real tone to it, is the calm monatone voice of Dr. Gordon. Dr. Gordon seems far to calm, no matter how long he may have been trapped there, he was in the dark the whole time, and he finally has someone to be scared with, yet he shows no sign of emoiton. He is however sweating a lot we realise once he turns the lights on. They then both see what is lying in the centre of the room, a dead body with a tape player in one hand, and a gun in the other. Again the first man we see,who we find out to be named Adam, has a very realistic reaction, and starts to gag at the sight of this bloody body.Dr. Gordon once again contrasts Adam, as he moves forward to take a closer look, and then simply reclines back to his original position. Adam eventually ends up screaming and sitting on the floor, trying to free himself from the chain by pulling it.
- Audience expectations
The audience would expect the most realistic reactions which they do get from Adam, but not from Dr. Gordon. Once you the first part of this scene is shown, an audience can expect the men to panic, as it would be a very traumatic thing.
- Target audience
This film is rated 18. So the target audience for this would be anywhere from 18-30. It's designed to shock the audiences, and leave you feeling sick. Will often make the audience think or say 'I don't know what I'd do if that was me'. This is a genre that people maybe a little over 30 may find slightly immature, or just something they would not be interested in.
- Shock, surprise and suspense.
The audience is left in complete suspense from the moment the film starts. As it starts with Adam unconscious underwater in the dark. Straight away what we can see from his surroundings, is the bathroom is filthy. We then notice once he has regained consciousness that his leg is chained to a pole, again creating suspense for the audience as they do not yet understand why this is. Shock then comes along once the lights have been turned on, and the dead body is viewable on the floor.
In 'The Book of Eli' the tone is set straight away as the setting is a dimly lit, hallowing old forest. The camera then pans to show a dead body just infront of the camera. Death being a key convention of thrillers, allows us to understand the genre of the film within the opening scene. Then on screen, an small cat appears on screen; something very unconventional to codes and conventions of a thriller, as animals are considered 'cute' and this would not be something expected to be seen in a thriller. The screen then turns to a solitary gas mask, and then in slow motion, and arrow is shot, which then kills the cat. Again using death as a thriller convention.
The character representation in this opening scene is not clear. It differs very greatly from Saw as this has no dialogue whatsoever, and character profile is not developed, so the audience understands very little about the character appearing on screen.
Its hard to decipher exactly what audience expectations should be within this film, but it certainly shows very strong conventions of a thriller, and therefore the audience should possibly expect the film to be dark, and gloomy throughout.
The shock and surprise in this clip may come from the start, when we immediately see a dead body lying on the forest floor, but it is more likely to come upon the death of the innocent cat. This is something completely different to most thrillers, and most likely would not be expected by the audience, therefore creating the element of surprise.
The themes of this opening sequence in Saw 1 is a thriller/horror. The mood is set straight from the start of the clip, as it starts of dark, and underwater, with a glowing key being the only light source. The man then awakes from under the water to find himself in a dark and grimy place. This is a convention of a thriller, because it creates a sense of mystery. The audience also hears another voice from across the room before we see his face, creating once again mystery, and possibly fear within the audiences reactions. The lights are then turned on by the only character that has been introduced yet. this differs slightly to normal codes and conventions of a thriller as High Key Lighting is not usually seen in parts when things are meant to puzzle us. Once the light is turned on, the audience can see a dead body on the floor, covered in gruesome blood and gore. This is conventional to some of the more graphic thrillers, and this leaves the audience in suspense.
- Narrative
The narrative in this scene is very conventional to the thriller genre as there are characters that are introduced before they have been identified. Also, the suspense created by the dead body lying on the floor is also very conventional.
- Representation of characters
The characters represented are clearly ordinary everyday men. The first man we come across is in a bath, laying unconscious under water. He then wakes up in a panic and falls out of the bath onto the floor. His movements throughout this entire scene seem very representable of a realistic reaction. He then starts to cry for help, again very realistic, but maybe something with less of a real tone to it, is the calm monatone voice of Dr. Gordon. Dr. Gordon seems far to calm, no matter how long he may have been trapped there, he was in the dark the whole time, and he finally has someone to be scared with, yet he shows no sign of emoiton. He is however sweating a lot we realise once he turns the lights on. They then both see what is lying in the centre of the room, a dead body with a tape player in one hand, and a gun in the other. Again the first man we see,who we find out to be named Adam, has a very realistic reaction, and starts to gag at the sight of this bloody body.Dr. Gordon once again contrasts Adam, as he moves forward to take a closer look, and then simply reclines back to his original position. Adam eventually ends up screaming and sitting on the floor, trying to free himself from the chain by pulling it.
- Audience expectations
The audience would expect the most realistic reactions which they do get from Adam, but not from Dr. Gordon. Once you the first part of this scene is shown, an audience can expect the men to panic, as it would be a very traumatic thing.
- Target audience
This film is rated 18. So the target audience for this would be anywhere from 18-30. It's designed to shock the audiences, and leave you feeling sick. Will often make the audience think or say 'I don't know what I'd do if that was me'. This is a genre that people maybe a little over 30 may find slightly immature, or just something they would not be interested in.
- Shock, surprise and suspense.
In 'The Book of Eli' the tone is set straight away as the setting is a dimly lit, hallowing old forest. The camera then pans to show a dead body just infront of the camera. Death being a key convention of thrillers, allows us to understand the genre of the film within the opening scene. Then on screen, an small cat appears on screen; something very unconventional to codes and conventions of a thriller, as animals are considered 'cute' and this would not be something expected to be seen in a thriller. The screen then turns to a solitary gas mask, and then in slow motion, and arrow is shot, which then kills the cat. Again using death as a thriller convention.
The character representation in this opening scene is not clear. It differs very greatly from Saw as this has no dialogue whatsoever, and character profile is not developed, so the audience understands very little about the character appearing on screen.
Its hard to decipher exactly what audience expectations should be within this film, but it certainly shows very strong conventions of a thriller, and therefore the audience should possibly expect the film to be dark, and gloomy throughout.
The shock and surprise in this clip may come from the start, when we immediately see a dead body lying on the forest floor, but it is more likely to come upon the death of the innocent cat. This is something completely different to most thrillers, and most likely would not be expected by the audience, therefore creating the element of surprise.
Thursday, 15 November 2012
Preliminary Task
- Recording someone walking through a door, using continuity editing, different camera angles, and a few lines of dialogue.
In this task, I were to record someone walking through a doorway, from different camera angles, and it was then followed by a few lines of dialogue. The idea was to make this scene flow when using different camera angles, so that you could almost not notice where it jumped. I used continuity editing to make this process happen, and it appeared to work well.
- What did you learn from doing this task?
From this task, I learnt the importance of different camera angles, and when they should be used for different effectiveness. I also learnt different ways in which things can be edited, and how to use different audio tracks to different videos.
- Whats one of my strengths when using the equipment?
One of my strengths when doing this task was being able to hold the camera steady when not using the tripod. We were short on time, and there was not enough time left to put the tripod back down, and set the camera on top of it, so in the clip when Devante walks out of the building, I filmed it by hand.
- What do you think you can improve on?
I think I could improve on my editing skills. I am not too confident on how to use the software well enough to be able to help edit the whole 2 minute opening. I feel the main thing I need to learn is how to cut clips, so I can edit them together seamlessly so I understand further the effects of continuity editing.
- How is this task gonna help me with my thriller?
This task will help with my thriller opening as I will have some idea of the editing skills needed to create a good piece of drama, rather than just jumping straight into things with no clue on how to adjust things that we recorded.
In this task, I were to record someone walking through a doorway, from different camera angles, and it was then followed by a few lines of dialogue. The idea was to make this scene flow when using different camera angles, so that you could almost not notice where it jumped. I used continuity editing to make this process happen, and it appeared to work well.
- What did you learn from doing this task?
From this task, I learnt the importance of different camera angles, and when they should be used for different effectiveness. I also learnt different ways in which things can be edited, and how to use different audio tracks to different videos.
- Whats one of my strengths when using the equipment?
One of my strengths when doing this task was being able to hold the camera steady when not using the tripod. We were short on time, and there was not enough time left to put the tripod back down, and set the camera on top of it, so in the clip when Devante walks out of the building, I filmed it by hand.
- What do you think you can improve on?
I think I could improve on my editing skills. I am not too confident on how to use the software well enough to be able to help edit the whole 2 minute opening. I feel the main thing I need to learn is how to cut clips, so I can edit them together seamlessly so I understand further the effects of continuity editing.
- How is this task gonna help me with my thriller?
Monday, 12 November 2012
Thriller Credits - Miss Frisenda
Opening credits in a thriller film play a much more key role than people may think or notice. Credits are worked seamlessly into almost every film ever made, and a great example is the film 'Seven'. Now although the credits in this film are not discrete, this is what creates the genius of them. This is possibly the best thriller example on how the credit sequence can be used to set the tone of the film straight away:
Sound - The sound that goes over the top of these credits is a screaming sound that has been cut and repeated again and again to create such an atmosphere that may make the audience feel slightly on edge or uncomfortable.
Font - The font in these credits are a key part to the opening of the film. The images we see on screen almost explain the reason for the 'scratched-in' font. The first images we see are hands, scraping off the fingertips to remove fingerprints, this is then followed by 'Morgan Freeman' in a horrible scratchy looking text, creating the link between the images and what we can see with the font.
Transitions - Although the transition is simply writing on a black screen, and then back to the images. The black screen does create a sense of mystery, whether it be linked to the on-screen images or not.
The other thriller credits that I am comparing this to is: The Village. The credits in the village are very conventional of a thriller. They start simply with a black screen, that gets lighter slightly and still only shows a foggy tree in the background, whilst outstanding letters sit in the middle of the screen.
Sound - The sound over the opening credits is very strong and haunting. The sound of animal whistles, and organs getting louder become a very dominant, daunting sound over the course of the titles. This contrasts to 'Sevens' opening because the sound in 'The Village' increases in intensity. It also differs because 'The Village's' opening credits simmer down to a more peaceful kind of music once the images of actors at a funeral appear on screen.
Font - The font in 'The Village' does not have as much characteristic's as the titles in 'Seven' but it does show complete dominance on the screen, as it sits in the centre, in bold white writing.
Transitions - Transitions do not appear in this until late on in the opening credits, but they are slow moving, and lead almost straight into the start of the film. The difference is that the on-screen images of 'happenings' in 'Seven' are viewable from the start, whereas in 'The Village' it is not until the end of the credits, do we see images of any relevance to the start of the film.
Sound - The sound that goes over the top of these credits is a screaming sound that has been cut and repeated again and again to create such an atmosphere that may make the audience feel slightly on edge or uncomfortable.
Font - The font in these credits are a key part to the opening of the film. The images we see on screen almost explain the reason for the 'scratched-in' font. The first images we see are hands, scraping off the fingertips to remove fingerprints, this is then followed by 'Morgan Freeman' in a horrible scratchy looking text, creating the link between the images and what we can see with the font.
Transitions - Although the transition is simply writing on a black screen, and then back to the images. The black screen does create a sense of mystery, whether it be linked to the on-screen images or not.
The other thriller credits that I am comparing this to is: The Village. The credits in the village are very conventional of a thriller. They start simply with a black screen, that gets lighter slightly and still only shows a foggy tree in the background, whilst outstanding letters sit in the middle of the screen.
Sound - The sound over the opening credits is very strong and haunting. The sound of animal whistles, and organs getting louder become a very dominant, daunting sound over the course of the titles. This contrasts to 'Sevens' opening because the sound in 'The Village' increases in intensity. It also differs because 'The Village's' opening credits simmer down to a more peaceful kind of music once the images of actors at a funeral appear on screen.
Font - The font in 'The Village' does not have as much characteristic's as the titles in 'Seven' but it does show complete dominance on the screen, as it sits in the centre, in bold white writing.
Transitions - Transitions do not appear in this until late on in the opening credits, but they are slow moving, and lead almost straight into the start of the film. The difference is that the on-screen images of 'happenings' in 'Seven' are viewable from the start, whereas in 'The Village' it is not until the end of the credits, do we see images of any relevance to the start of the film.
BBFC Age certficate
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), originally British Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films within the United Kingdom. It has a statutory requirement to classify videos, DVDs and some video games under the Video Recordings Act 2010.
The BBFC was established in 1912 as the British Board of Film Censors by the film industry. It began operating on 1 January 1913. Their primary function is to rate films and games.
They agreed that it would be right that each motion picture be given a certain age certificate designed to show its intended target audience. Also it would refrain people who may not be of an age where they are ready to watch a film from watching it. The certificates are given as follows :
The film industry benefits very much from having the BBFC, because it may also help people decide what films they would like to watch, before knowing very much about it at all. For example, if someone was to suggest seeing an 18 rated horror film, and you saw the general description of an 18 movie, it may put you off because of some of its generalised criteria.
One of the main films that impacted the BBFC's rating scheme was 'Spiderman' in 2002. The scenes such as the fight scene in 'Spiderman' were deemed too disturbing for it to be rated a 12. But by making this film a 15, they would lose a lot of their children target audience, especially as this is a comic book character film. In order to avoid this problem, the BBFC created a new film classification - 12A.
12A allows young people with a parent/guardian to be admitted into the cinema to see this film. Therefore creating a lot more profit in sales, as children would often go to see it with their parents. Many films would then catch on and follow immediately. Big film franchises such as the Harry Potter films contain many 12A's to allow content that may be a bit risque for a 12, into their production, creating a more entertaining piece of imagery.
This is the possible prime scene that awarded 'Spiderman' the first 12A:
The BBFC was established in 1912 as the British Board of Film Censors by the film industry. It began operating on 1 January 1913. Their primary function is to rate films and games.
They agreed that it would be right that each motion picture be given a certain age certificate designed to show its intended target audience. Also it would refrain people who may not be of an age where they are ready to watch a film from watching it. The certificates are given as follows :
| Symbol | Name | Definition/Notes |
|---|---|---|
 | Universal | All ages admitted, there is nothing unsuitable for children. |
 | Parental Guidance | All ages admitted, but certain scenes may be unsuitable for young children. May contain mild language and sex/drugs references. May contain moderate violence if justified by context (e.g. fantasy). |
 | 12A | Cinema only. Introduced in 2002.
Films under this category are considered to be unsuitable for very young people. Those aged under 12 years are only admitted if accompanied by an adult, aged at least 18 years, at all times during the motion picture. However, it is generally not recommended that children under 12 years should watch the film. Films under this category can contain mature themes, discrimination, soft drugs, moderate swear words, infrequent strong language and moderate violence, sex references and nudity. Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed. Sexual violence may be implied or briefly indicated.
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 | 12 | Home media only since 2002. 12A-rated films are usually given a 12 certificate for the VHS/DVD version unless extra material has been added that requires a higher rating.
Nobody younger than 12 can rent or buy a 12-rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game. The content guidelines are identical to those used for the 12A certificate.
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 | 15 | Only those over 15 years are admitted.
Nobody younger than 15 can rent or buy a 15-rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game, or watch a film in the cinema with this rating. Films under this category can contain adult themes, hard drugs, frequent strong language and limited use of very strong language, strong violence and strong sex references, and nudity without graphic detail. Sexual activity may be portrayed but without any strong detail. Sexual violence may be shown if discreet and justified by context.
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 | 18 | Only adults are admitted.
Nobody younger than 18 can rent or buy an 18-rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game, or watch a film in the cinema with this rating. Films under this category do not have limitation on the bad language that is used. Hard drugs are generally allowed, and explicit sex references along with detailed sexual activity are also allowed. Scenes of strong real sex may be permitted if justified by the context. Very strong, gory, and/or sadistic violence is usually permitted. Strong sexual violence is permitted unless it is eroticised or excessively graphic.
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 | Restricted 18 |
Can only be shown at licensed adult cinemas or sold at licensed sex shops, and only to adults, those aged 18 or over. Films under this category are always hard-core pornography, defined as material intended for sexual stimulation and containing clear images of real sexual activity, strong fetish material, explicit animated images, or sight of certain acts such as triple simultaneous penetration and snowballing. There remains a range of material that is often cut from the R18 rating: strong images of injury in BDSM or spanking works, urolagnia, scenes suggesting incest even if staged, references to underage sex or childhood sexual development and aggressive behaviour such as hair-pulling or spitting on a performer are not permitted. More cuts are demanded in this category than any other category.
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12A allows young people with a parent/guardian to be admitted into the cinema to see this film. Therefore creating a lot more profit in sales, as children would often go to see it with their parents. Many films would then catch on and follow immediately. Big film franchises such as the Harry Potter films contain many 12A's to allow content that may be a bit risque for a 12, into their production, creating a more entertaining piece of imagery.
This is the possible prime scene that awarded 'Spiderman' the first 12A:
Friday, 26 October 2012
Narrative Theory
Theory #1: Vladmir Propp, a Russian critic, active in the 1920's, published his 'Morphology of the Folk Tale' in 1928. While the Soviet cinema was producing excellent films, Propp was essentially interested in the narrative folk tales. He noticed folk tales were similar in many areas. They were about the same basic struggles and they appeared to have stock characters. He identified a theory about characters and actions as narrative functions.Charcters according to Propp, have narrative function - they provide a structure for the text.
The Hero - a character that seeks something
The Villain - who opposes or actively blocks the hero's quest
The Donor - who provides an object with magical properties
The Dispatcher - who sends the hero on his/her quest via a message
The False Hero - who disrupts the hero's succes by making false claims
The Helper - who aids the hero
The Princess - acts as the reward for the hero and the object of the villains plot
Her Father - who acts to reward the hero for his efforts
He also believed there were actions of functions of narrative preparation. These were;
- A community/kingdom/family is in an order state of being
- A member of the community/kingdom/family leaves home
- A warning is given to the leaders of the community or a rule is imposed on the hero
- The warning is discounted/the rule is broken
- The villain attempts to discover something about the victim of the broken rule
- The villain tries to deceive the victim to gain advantage
- The victim unwillingly helps the villain
Theory #2: Todorov simplified the idea of narrative theory whilst also allowing a more complex interpretation of films and texts with his theory of Equilibrium and Disequilibrium.
Equilibrium is a state of normality, where everything is as it should be within the world of the story. The story and it's world will be disrupted by something, this is the dequilibrium. By the end of the story, a new equilibrium will be created, and this is now known as the 'happy ending'.
In Todorov's theory, the story line is not seen as a linear structure, as it comes full circle back to where it started. The whole idea of narratives following Todorov's theory is the characters attempting to restore the equilibrium, but the equilibrium changes at the end of the film once it is attained. He also claims that characters change throughout the progression of the Diseqilibrium and the disruption itself usually takes place outside the 'normal' social events.
Theory #3: Aristotle believed that the more you look into headings or titles, it is easy to realise that it will come under one of a few different types of heading:
- Inciting Incident - Explaining something that may be the big incident in the film, in the title to help attract people to look at this story.
- Dramatic Question - This question may be rhetorical to add emphasis, and may also again attract the audience to it
- Character Goal - May explain what the main character is looking to complete/do
- Antagonist/Protagonist - This may explain what sort of hero/villain will be in the story e.g the film 'Devil'
- Stakes - This shows possibly what the hero is fighting for, an example may be the film 'Million Dollar Baby'
- Resolution - This is a heading that may provide the answer, or what is necessary of the main characters to resolve the problem at hand.
- Sympathy/Empathy - This may be used more in romantic stories, as sympathy and empathy is often linked with loss, stress, depression etc.
These headings are very close to those suggested by Aristotle - the leader in narrative theory. Aristotle's literary criticism is probably most famous for the 'unities' - time, place and action. Aristotle's most complete analysis is of 'tragedy', which is arguably the basis of most 'serious drama'.
The theory of our groups narrative is Todorov's. Our idea is that there will be an equilibrium, and it will be disturbed by a villain. It is unsure whether the equilibrium will be re-found or a new one is made, after the disequilibrium happens takes place.
The Hero - a character that seeks something
The Villain - who opposes or actively blocks the hero's quest
The Donor - who provides an object with magical properties
The Dispatcher - who sends the hero on his/her quest via a message
The False Hero - who disrupts the hero's succes by making false claims
The Helper - who aids the hero
The Princess - acts as the reward for the hero and the object of the villains plot
Her Father - who acts to reward the hero for his efforts
He also believed there were actions of functions of narrative preparation. These were;
- A community/kingdom/family is in an order state of being
- A member of the community/kingdom/family leaves home
- A warning is given to the leaders of the community or a rule is imposed on the hero
- The warning is discounted/the rule is broken
- The villain attempts to discover something about the victim of the broken rule
- The villain tries to deceive the victim to gain advantage
- The victim unwillingly helps the villain
Theory #2: Todorov simplified the idea of narrative theory whilst also allowing a more complex interpretation of films and texts with his theory of Equilibrium and Disequilibrium.
Equilibrium is a state of normality, where everything is as it should be within the world of the story. The story and it's world will be disrupted by something, this is the dequilibrium. By the end of the story, a new equilibrium will be created, and this is now known as the 'happy ending'.
In Todorov's theory, the story line is not seen as a linear structure, as it comes full circle back to where it started. The whole idea of narratives following Todorov's theory is the characters attempting to restore the equilibrium, but the equilibrium changes at the end of the film once it is attained. He also claims that characters change throughout the progression of the Diseqilibrium and the disruption itself usually takes place outside the 'normal' social events.
Theory #3: Aristotle believed that the more you look into headings or titles, it is easy to realise that it will come under one of a few different types of heading:
- Inciting Incident - Explaining something that may be the big incident in the film, in the title to help attract people to look at this story.
- Dramatic Question - This question may be rhetorical to add emphasis, and may also again attract the audience to it
- Character Goal - May explain what the main character is looking to complete/do
- Antagonist/Protagonist - This may explain what sort of hero/villain will be in the story e.g the film 'Devil'
- Stakes - This shows possibly what the hero is fighting for, an example may be the film 'Million Dollar Baby'
- Resolution - This is a heading that may provide the answer, or what is necessary of the main characters to resolve the problem at hand.
- Sympathy/Empathy - This may be used more in romantic stories, as sympathy and empathy is often linked with loss, stress, depression etc.
These headings are very close to those suggested by Aristotle - the leader in narrative theory. Aristotle's literary criticism is probably most famous for the 'unities' - time, place and action. Aristotle's most complete analysis is of 'tragedy', which is arguably the basis of most 'serious drama'.
The theory of our groups narrative is Todorov's. Our idea is that there will be an equilibrium, and it will be disturbed by a villain. It is unsure whether the equilibrium will be re-found or a new one is made, after the disequilibrium happens takes place.
Wednesday, 24 October 2012
Group Narrative
Group Narrative
Devante's Narrative
The main story is that 7 random people all get an invitation to go to a celebration of a mysterious character at their house at 11pm on Saturday night.
They all go to the enclosed address and meet up outside the huge, bright, white mansion (anti-conventional). They all look at each other and start talking and end up finding out that none of them know about this mysterious character.
The door slowly opens (hear the locks being undone slowly, and the door opens slowly without revealing a person until it's been full opened), after being fully opened the butler walks to them from the side and welcomes them in.
Inside everything was bright and white set up with comfortable sofas, food, music etc... Whilst they were helping themselves to the food the butler disappears. After gathering their food they all sat down and started eating, all but one person... Everyone who ate felt dizzy and passed out. The one person that was left conscious panicked and ran straight to the door, turned the handle and immediately the floor gave way and he fell into an endless abbys.
Later on every one awakes (1am) and everything is different (setting will be described in conventions).
Long story short - They end up going through this huge house and in different rooms there are things awaiting them and one by one they end up getting killed off until one person is left and he sees the twisted, disgusting creature with a flash of lightning. There's a laugh and a scream at the end followed by a voice over...
Positives:
- Good unknown location
- Mysterious passive character
Negatives:
- Needs an insentive to kill
- Will need to jump in faster for the opening to keep audience interested
Jordan's Narrative
narrative Miss Georgiou
Title: the last of us
plot: modern day zombie/ mutant apocalypse a
few people left alive working in groups willing to do anything it takes to
survive
Beginning: starts off with a group of people
running through a small woodland area being chased by a horde of zombies, one
member of the group trips and falls and get eaten creating a diversion letting
the rest of the escape to a near by house one member of the group climbs
through a window in order to get into the house while the others wait outside
unaware of what is happening to the other member of the group
Middle: As time progresses they relies that
they need to get out of the area because of a low supply of food and water. so
they stock up on goods and head out along the way they come across a medical
expert who needs to get a vile of blood to a safe zone so together they head
towards the safe zone,
End: when they get there they find out that
the complex has been breached and they rapidly get taken out 1 by 1 before
there is only 1 left who decides to take his own life before getting eaten
alive
Positives:
- Very consistent with the modern theme of films
- Should be a good sense of fear for the audience watching it
Negatives:
-
Positives:
- Very consistent with the modern theme of films
- Should be a good sense of fear for the audience watching it
Negatives:
-
There may need more character build up so we appreciate the importance of the deaths
- Needs to be explained that if some of the group don't understand what is happening, why are they packing up?
My Narrative
A woman is tied up in an old deserted place, and is seen to be trying to wriggle out. She escapes the unknown captor and proceeds to run through the woods to get away. The menace chases her, and after a while hunts her down. Leaving an unexplained mystery as to why she has been killed, and what got her in this position.
We leave the scene with the killer walking away from the body, lying on the ground, but with a possession of hers in his hand, her pendant. The body is left on the fringe of the forest, where it can be easily found, but this appears to not matter.
Group Narrative - Combined Ideas
Key: Jordan Jamie Devante
(If colours overlay, it means both people were responsible for that idea)
1)Mysterious man drops letter somewhere and a group of people pick it up and it tells them that there's a celebration (of sombody that they all know) leaving an address.
(If colours overlay, it means both people were responsible for that idea)
1)Mysterious man drops letter somewhere and a group of people pick it up and it tells them that there's a celebration (of sombody that they all know) leaving an address.
2)They get to the abandoned place and the door slowly opens and they walk in and one of the people get taken away without them realising.
3)Get to the hall and see the missing person, approach her and see that she's not OK and that she's twitching.She jumps at one of them and one of them get a gun and shoot her off. The woman's left on the floor dead.
4)Find another piece of paper on the floor telling them that they're all test subjects, see the person behind them smiling.
5)She turns, the screen goes black and after a 2second pause there's a scream and the title come up
6)(Mad man injects people with liquid to zombify them)
3)Get to the hall and see the missing person, approach her and see that she's not OK and that she's twitching.She jumps at one of them and one of them get a gun and shoot her off. The woman's left on the floor dead.
4)Find another piece of paper on the floor telling them that they're all test subjects, see the person behind them smiling.
5)She turns, the screen goes black and after a 2second pause there's a scream and the title come up
6)(Mad man injects people with liquid to zombify them)
As a group we decided that it would be more convenient, and more effective to change our narrative. The Narrative that included the zombies seemed to stray too far away from the thriller genre, and it would also be too complicated and unrealistic, with too many characters being lead into a very unlikely place with an anonymous party invite.
New Group Narrative:
1) Starts with a woman tied to a chair in the corner of a trashed, burnt out room
2) Unidentifiable menace appears on screen and 'communicates' with her
3) Villain then leaves the room again and proceeds to a board with pictures of past victims. He then burns the picture of the current captive
4) Victim escapes from the chair, and runs into the forest
5) She then screams for help, as things start to become hopeless
6) She then turns to see the villain is behind her
Wednesday, 17 October 2012
Individual Narrative
Main Narrative
Having only 2 characters helps the suspense of the film, as the victim appears to be so isolated, and have no one around to help as she tries to flee her captor.
The antagonist is killing the woman because he is obsessed with her, but she insulted him by telling him he was a freak for stalking her, and that her boyfriend would kill him. His theory is that if he cant have him, then no one can.
A woman is tied up in an old deserted place, and is seen to be trying to wriggle out. She escapes the unknown captor and proceeds to run through the woods to get away. The menace chases her, and after a while hunts her down. Leaving an unexplained mystery as to why she has been killed, and what got her in this position.
We leave the scene with the killer walking away from the body, lying on the ground, but with a possession of hers in his hand, her pendant. The body is left on the fringe of the forest, where it can be easily found, but this appears to not matter.
Title: The Resilient
Conventions
Masked Menace: The antagonist will be masked and and unidentifiable but the use of the mask and possibly a weapon will show the difference in power.
Low Angle's: Low angle shots will be used especially when the victim is tied up, and killed, it needs to be shown that the antagonist holds more power than her, and that the audience is seeing it from her point of view, and may only see the killer's knees and below to keep him unidentifiable.
Element of Suspense: The audience will be in suspense throughout the opening as they may feel uneasy watching the terror this woman is going through. The death will be hidden as to help leave some of it to the audiences imagination, yet hints will be given as to what did take place once the victim has been caught.
Low Key Lighting: Low key lighting will be used when in the forest, and also in the deserted place that she is being held captive. This will help create an area of tension and helplessness.
Representation of Characters
Having only 2 characters helps the suspense of the film, as the victim appears to be so isolated, and have no one around to help as she tries to flee her captor.
The antagonist is killing the woman because he is obsessed with her, but she insulted him by telling him he was a freak for stalking her, and that her boyfriend would kill him. His theory is that if he cant have him, then no one can.
Monday, 15 October 2012
Sound
Sounds are used in films to create an understanding for the audience and to create more meaning about the characters and their emotions.
Sound is also used to create a response from the audience.
Digetic Sound
Digetic sounds is when the source is something within the film world, I.e dialogue or music. This is possibly a less effective use of sound to help a thriller film than non-digetic, but can be used very well in certain ways. A great example is in the film 'The Strangers'. In one of the films most tense points, and old LP starts playing with music which can only be from around the 1930's is on. This creates an eerie feeling of anxiety as part of the audience, and also allows the thriller to go wherever it wants from here, as it has hit on a convention that is not necessarily universally recognised.
Non-Digetic
This is when the sound comes from somewhere not in the film world such as background music. It may also be sounds that emphasises the situation like loud screeching noises that may have nothing really to do with it, but will increase tension, such as the murder scene in psycho. Psycho is one of the best examples of non-digetic sound being effective, but it can also be used in different more gentle contexts to avoid convention, and create even more mystery and suspense.
On Screen sound
This is when it is possible to see where the sound is coming from, things such as cars, a jukebox etc.
This may create more of a realistic atmosphere because the audience is aware that the characters in the scene can here this too, especially if its a haunting noise. One of the most cliche uses of these across the thriller/horror world, is a knock of something in a room, for example something falling off a table, or even a piano playing itself.
Off Screen sound
This is when a noise being made is also in the film world, but it is off screen, something like in the film insidious, when the baby is crying off camera, then the mother goes to comfort her, we understand where the noise is coming from, but do not see it on camera. This can be used as it is in this scene to create an image in the audiences head that may seem like a viewer understnads what to expect from what they can hear. However this a really good technique to catch the audience off guard with, as a homely sound that everyone may be used to, something like the phone ringing, and someone walking to go answer it, could be used effectively with a killer standing by the phone.
Sound is also used to create a response from the audience.
Digetic Sound
Digetic sounds is when the source is something within the film world, I.e dialogue or music. This is possibly a less effective use of sound to help a thriller film than non-digetic, but can be used very well in certain ways. A great example is in the film 'The Strangers'. In one of the films most tense points, and old LP starts playing with music which can only be from around the 1930's is on. This creates an eerie feeling of anxiety as part of the audience, and also allows the thriller to go wherever it wants from here, as it has hit on a convention that is not necessarily universally recognised.
Non-Digetic
This is when the sound comes from somewhere not in the film world such as background music. It may also be sounds that emphasises the situation like loud screeching noises that may have nothing really to do with it, but will increase tension, such as the murder scene in psycho. Psycho is one of the best examples of non-digetic sound being effective, but it can also be used in different more gentle contexts to avoid convention, and create even more mystery and suspense.
On Screen sound
This is when it is possible to see where the sound is coming from, things such as cars, a jukebox etc.
This may create more of a realistic atmosphere because the audience is aware that the characters in the scene can here this too, especially if its a haunting noise. One of the most cliche uses of these across the thriller/horror world, is a knock of something in a room, for example something falling off a table, or even a piano playing itself.
Off Screen sound
This is when a noise being made is also in the film world, but it is off screen, something like in the film insidious, when the baby is crying off camera, then the mother goes to comfort her, we understand where the noise is coming from, but do not see it on camera. This can be used as it is in this scene to create an image in the audiences head that may seem like a viewer understnads what to expect from what they can hear. However this a really good technique to catch the audience off guard with, as a homely sound that everyone may be used to, something like the phone ringing, and someone walking to go answer it, could be used effectively with a killer standing by the phone.
Parallel Sound
This is when the sound you hear in a film is exactly what is expected, such as a poweful car having a loud motor. This is one of the most realistic sound techniques as it is how our world exists. This could be used to create a sense of hope when a victim may be trapped and feel isolated no longer. An example could be someone being trapped in the forest, but getting near a road in the forest, and hearing cars go past, may mislead the audience into thinking the victim is about to survive, but the plot could now twist to prevent them reaching this safety.
Contrapuntual Sound
This is the opposite of Parallel sound, this is when a noise is unconventional because it does not match the images on the screen. This may be things such as scenes from the exorcist, or sinister where children's voices do not make the sound we expect they should.
In this clip of Silent Hill 2: Revelation, There are many different sound effects used, all to different quantities, but each one just as effective as the other. A key sound technique for the start of this clip is off screen sound. The audience can see Vincent's face, but we can hear his actions of moving his arms to try and free himself of the chains that are tying him to the bed. They may have used this sound, as it is conventional to a thriller, in the fact that he is 'trapped' and the sound of these chains rattling represent the fact that he is held there, and in trouble.
The audience can also hear the sounds of knives swishing in the air each time noise is made by Sharon and/or Vincent. Something that could be missed, but makes a notable difference to the tone of the scene, is the non-digetic sound. There is background music playing throughout the clip, and as Sharon starts to free Vincent, the Nurses start moving again, and at this instant, the background music bellows, creating a darker more worrying atmosphere.
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