Vox Pop

From the answers we gained, our group as a whole have learned that popular and recognisable have to be action packed and instantly set the scene, with immediate suspense to instantly hook the viewers of our age group.
However these results are flawed because we didn't vary the age ranges for these questions greatly, nor did we use any girls to get an opinion from the opposite sex hence why there is a pattern in the opinions of the boys.
Common answers were 'Fast and Furious 7', and 'Se7en'. They posed many questions but also gave a lot of suspense and action in both of their opening sequences which is why they were very commonly used within our Vox Pop. We could later gain the opinions of the opposite sex and older members of the community to gain a more clear idea on what we need to do to focus or widen the sequence, what conventions to include and what conventions to leave out.

On the other hand, we did get a very good impression on what our audience are looking for in a solid and engaging opening sequence and we also have a very clear idea on which conventions we should use and avoid.
Cliches are very valuable in the opening sequences but there has to be a unique twist on those cliches I believe, and we have to be careful not to stray from the Thriller genre and use the common conventions effectively. 
Editing-wise we have to find something unique that fits the sequence and catches the eye of the audience whilst taunting them with the action that our interviewees specified. We have to use a different and more creative form of typography to introduce cast whilst using some typography cliches, so this is a very specific idea that we have formed from the answers we have gained in our Vox Pop.

Analysis of still shots in Se7en

Analysis of still shots for Se7en

As Se7en opened, the opening scene was set on a close-up shot on Morgan Freeman’s face, showing the significance and importance of him as a character, showing that he is significant to the plot. Furthermore, there is a close-up shot of his prop, a police badge showing that he as a character, has power in the storyline and that he will possibly overpower another character (the antagonist) at some point. His stature, and him fixing his uniform to a very presentable standard represents the further expression of his importance as a character within this movie and its plot.

The next scene is where Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are discussing a recent death irrelevant to the plot; a two-shot to show both characters is used. Brad is evidently walking quickly as if to catch up to Morgan and just seems much more casual and informal, showing that though they are both on a similar level of power, Morgan is by far the superior because of experience and that is shown in body language, which could be used later on to show who is more experienced and/or knowledgeable. Brad seems hasty and rushed, his uniform much less correct than that of Morgan, showing the contrast in experience further, whereas Morgan is more of a relaxed manner as he walks.

Further on into the opening where the first body is discovered, wide shots of the entire room are used to set the scene and give a feel for the atmosphere of it, however there is very little lighting and to further enforce the chilling atmosphere for the thriller scenery, the room looks almost derelict and abandoned, all the props used are rotting and dirty giving a rather unsettling feeling to open the movie. This will then lead to a discussion as to what happened to this person, and with the setting to back it up as well as the props and atmosphere it is clear that both protagonists know this is a murder, and these are common features of a thriller, especially those to do with serial killers as they set a mystery for the viewer, which is typically to use the environment and spot a calling card to try and figure out how the killer works at the same time as the protagonists.

Instantly after, the shot is changed to a two shot over the shoulder from behind both characters as a close-up of the sides of their faces from the back of their car as they have a discussion. Dim lighting is used again with nothing but the street to cast light on their faces as they drive slowly through the city in torrential downpours of rain, giving a feel of how dark the film is, because something is casting a shadow on the characters, which is a common convention of many thrillers. The shadow and dim lighting foreshadows a darkness that is to come and challenge the two protagonists in this case, or furthermore something more sinister could hang over them.

After the scene of which the public are notified of the serial killer, the scene changes to a mid shot of a scruffy looking Brad Pitt, sitting in what appears to be his superior’s office. The lighting is bright but focused on Brad, so this signifies that Brad’s character is a significant one and that the viewer should have their eyes on him, portraying the typical theme of a sense of security that thrillers cast across to the viewer. Brad’s relaxed stature creates a further sense of his lack of professionalism and could even lead to him being considered naïve which could link to something relevant later on when the antagonist is revealed, and becomes associated with the characters later on.

Sound analysis

As an example for my sound analysis, I will use 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. It starts out with a faint introduction to the music, with non-diegetic screams included however this only occurs at the start and end of the sequence. These screams infer a theme of pain, peril or danger that will recur throughout the film, which in turn being a typical thriller will have the audience on the edge of their seat. This also instantly shows that this film is going to be an action and psychological thriller, as it follows a stereotype of women being put in danger, which is commonly used in psychological thrillers.
The song 'Immigrant Song' is played which is a fast paced, loud song. This cuts a clear impression to the viewer that this film is going to be fast paced throughout, and there will be no slowing of the pace in the film. In other words it will escalate quickly and hold that pace. This means it is synchronous sound since it matches the genre and action of the film since it is evident this film will be fast paced with the choice of the song. The fact it is a female vocalist singing the song, however, connotes this film will be about the empowerment of women, fighting back since that is what the song is about.

Towards the end of the sequence, male and female screams are heard which in turn shows there is now danger to both the sexes. It becomes obvious that a male character will be used since the danger towards men has also been expressed and put across by faint non-diegetic sound. This could mean a change in social stance between the male and female characters who could potentially be involved in the plot.
Also, the music suddenly cuts out meaning the film's action will end very abruptly, after a resolution occurs. With it being synchronous to the plot, it gives a strong inference that the ending will be quick and abrupt after a heavy action scene. Possibly resolved by combat and the abrupt music stop represents the stop of a heart or bodily functions. These are all typical conventions of any action-thriller and effectively keep the viewer on the edge of their seat, since opening soundtrack is repeated throughout the film to clarify that actions scenes are either currently occurring or are about to occur. The use of high paced synchronous music effectively engages the viewer because subconsciously they will know the film will be packed with action due to listening to the music.

Thriller sub-genres and conventions

Thriller Sub-genres

Techno-thriller - Techno-thrillers are often sci-fi related films such as Hollow Man, or Terminator. They often involve more scientific and futuristic elements; dystopian elements are often included.

Action-thriller - Action thrillers are all about stunts, guns, violence and tight edge-of-the-seat situations. Action-thrillers involve someone pursuing a quest to receive someone or something.

Conspiracy-thriller - Involve rumours and conspiracies such as Area 51, or things such as folklore for mythical creatures like the Jersey Devil. They always show historical relevance usually.

Crime-thriller - Usually incorporate themes of investigation and mystery, where police (usually) are hunting a criminal or chasing down a case. Solving a crime that has been committed.

Disaster-thriller - Typical to use death, natural causes or supernatural, on a large scale as imaginatively as possible. There is always death close to the one before and after.

Eco-thriller - They focus on natural disaster with things such as tsunamis, tornadoes and hurricanes. Films like Twister and 2012 focus on death using these natural disasters.

Forensic-thriller - Gory scenes with graphic images involving death and the human body. A lot more investigation and technicality to the human body is included.

Legal-thriller - Incorporate trials against criminals, a lot of law and the main aim of the film, making it a thriller, is seeing the criminal either incarcerated or let free.

Medical-thriller - Set in hospitals and are related to the health of a person, a lot of medical features and terms, again using the technicality of human anatomy.

Mystery-thriller - Antagonists and protagonists battling each other, again requires solving a mystery and investigation to finish a quest.

Political-thriller - An example is the Mandela movie, where it shows a political movement and how it is implemented. A resolution of that political movement is often shown.

Religious-thriller - Portray religious ideas and background, with films like the Da Vinci Code showing a lot of historical and religious relevance to the plot in the modern day, though they can be re-enactments of historical events.

Psychological-thriller - Use common fears, subconscious worries and general terrors to inflict a feeling of terror to the viewer, making them unsettled with particular content in the Mise-en-Scene and narrative, or even soundtrack. To enforce the fears, difficulties using these fears are created to make the character seem helpless, thus unsettling the viewer.

Romantic-thriller - Complications in the relationship that keep the viewer on edge constantly wanting a resolution, which is a common convention. Couples tackling problems together leaving the viewer wanting them to pull through together, creates a sense of danger or peril.

Spy-thriller - Films such as Bond that are packed with action, mystery and investigation to not only keep the viewer wanting the protagonist to complete their objective but to answer the enigmas the film creates at the same time.

Supernatural-thriller - Realism, not horror but still often paranormal or alien. The objective of these films is to keep the viewer on edge, not terrify them so there has to be a resolution to the plot, or a plot twist that will create enigmas instead of an abrupt ending with death.

Thriller trailers - conventions

Sicario - A translation of the word, meaning hitman, is put across. They use tense music as the action in the trailer progresses, with a lot of gun and drug related violence showing this is clearly an action/crime-thriller. Phrases such as 'there are no borders... between right and wrong' are shown to enforce the genres.
Enigmas are created - why are the FBI being followed and hunted?
A lot of Emily Blunt's narrative is used to show that she is the protagonist following an anti-stereotype, she is also being put in a position of power because she is immediately shown to be police.
Props such as guns and drugs are used, with police uniforms on the characters to show there is a battle between drug lords and the police or FBI.

The Walk - A psychological/documentary thriller about constant danger with phrases such as 'you're going to die/kill yourself' to show the constant presence of danger. It is shown to be a true story, it is realistic and possible. The twin towers are shown since he used a tightrope to walk between them, as well as things such as construction materials and gadgets to show the complexity of this rope walker's quest.
Questions such as, 'why does he want to cross the buildings so bad?' There may be deeper reason behind it that isn't answered in the trailer.

Crimson Peak - A supernatural thriller that evidently shows death, ghosts and some possible forms of deep supernatural themes like demons and sacrifice. It starts off that she loves this man and some mysterious woman, enigmas are created; who is this other woman? It then progresses that this man and woman are more sinister and have very ill intentions. Again, the music starts out as classical and peaceful to match the action with synchronous sound and then of course builds up to be more tense and dramatic.

San Andreas - An eco-thriller/disaster movie involving earthquakes. The main character 'The Rock' is searching to save his daughter and he is desperately searching for her. He is in a rescue helicopter so that clearly shows his professional occupation, being a disaster search and rescue team member.
The music sets the scene, as well as the narrative, both stating it's in California along the West coast somewhere.
Questions are created such as 'why is this happening? What will this lead to?' They will again be answered in the movie but they do create a very grand air of anticipation.

Bridge of Spies - Political and legal thriller that stars a famous face, Tom Hanks, as a lawyer. With M.E.S in the trailer including Tom Hanks and the tense soundtrack it shows the film is a political thriller. Tom Hanks often stars in thriller movies and very much specialises in them with the quality of his acting. It is set in the Cold War with a lot of historical context like the Berlin War, being based off true events. Tension is created when his wife pleads that he ensures he comes home and makes apparent that he and is family are in danger.

Typical characters in thrillers:

• Resourceful heroes
• Criminals
• Soldiers
• Police
• Stalkers
• Assassins
• Innocents
• Protagonists
• Antagonists
• Psychotic characters
• Victims

Themes and narratives:

• Terrorism
• Political conspiracy
• Psychological
• Supernatural
• Crime
• Espionage
• Assassination
• Tension/suspense
• Single ideas that are being pursued
• Escape
• Imprisonment
• Murder
• Enigmas to be sold

Mise en scene:

• Urban locations
• Realism - not horror
• Recognisable locations
• Isolated environments
• Props - guns, weapons, knives
• Props/costume to reveal character

Production Companies

Production Companies

Title sequence study: Silent Hill

Title Sequence Study

Vox Pops

Vox Pops are typically interviews in which general members of the public are approached to gain an opinion from the public. The interviewee is dressed casually and just look normal, with no formality.
The filming of a Vox Pop is an indirect address because the interviewee looks at the interviewer as opposed to looking directly at the camera like a news report.

Conventions of Vox Pops:

• Short for Vox Populi (voice of the people/man on the street)
• Questions to the general public
• Answers from the public (opinions usually)
• Name
• Age
• Occupation (optional)
• Interviewer is never in the frame
• The interviewee is the main focus, lively scene out of focus in the background
• At the beginning, the question is shown, never hear the voice of the interviewer
• Random selection of the public
• Duration of each shot is usually short and to the point, with a straight cut moving on to the next person because the audience get bored if one person speaks for a while
• Indirect gaze, appearing to be straight at the eyes of the interviewer
• Background is out of focus, in a busy public area
• People need to be at a distance so their sound isn't picked up
• No repetition of questions

Possible questions:

• Why do you watch Thrillers?
• How do you expect to feel when watching a Thriller movie?
• What engages you during the opening of a Thriller?
• What is the most memorable Thriller movie you've watched and why?
• What makes you want to watch the rest of the film?
• What conventions would you expect to see in a Thriller?

Sound in Thrillers: What makes effective sound in Thrillers?

What makes effective sound in Thrillers?

 

• Synchronous sound - goes with the action of the film
• Asynchronous sound - goes against the action of the film
• Diegetic sound - sound recorded in the scene, heard in the action
• Non-diegetic sound - sound edited in post-production

 

 

Analysis:

• What sounds are heard?
• Audience emotions, how will it make the audience feel?
• What instruments are used?

 

Sound 1

Orchestral music is used, and orchestral is very dramatic, it's all played loudly, in forte with accented notes, which is synchronous with the movie style itself and shows that it is clearly a tense Thriller. The high pitched notes, short and abrupt, played in a very staccato style show the intensity of the film.

 

Sound 2

Soft acoustic piano to begin with, and introduces more layers of instruments as it progresses, introducing the guitar making the music more tense as it crescendos louder introducing drums, backing choir and then the drums get louder. This progression in sound is relevant to the plot, where it starts off softly and then towards the end it begins amounting to the climax. This is known as the transition from equilibrium to disequilibrium. It goes with the action of the film, again, synchronous.

The piano track is distorted, and put out of tune to unnerve the audience, distorted tracks usually sound more sinister.

 

Sound 3

This is asynchronous to the plot of the film, the well known 'Kill Bill Whistle' along with the soft orchestral music in the background completely contradicts the plot, as it is non-stop action in the film. That is until they very end where it again shows the transition from equilibrium to disequilibrium when the tense orchestral music begins towards the end, though the music does create a very sinister contrast. The relaxed music makes it more unnerving and twisted for the audience, because it shows the antagonist is evil yet the relaxation in the music during their action is almost psychopathic.

 

Sound 4

Again, the music is asynchronous which also contradicts the plot since this relaxed, yet dismal music is played in the background of a war scene and it doesn't really represent the pandemonium of the scene. The sound doesn't even crescendo or show a shift in equilibrium, it fully contradicts the plot which also unsettles the audience however in this context it is less psychopathic and more sad and dismal. Even though this music isn't representative of the war scene, it does almost reflect the sadness of it even more.

 

Summary: What makes a good Thriller soundtrack?

• Climaxing music that crescendos is always effective to build up tension using the soundtrack.
• Music in minor key, the sad and low sounds make a more sinister feel to the film.
• High pitched strings further create that sinister feel
• Percussive heartbeat that can increase in speed as the tension builds
• In horror/thrillers, children's nursery rhymes create a nostalgic turning the innocence of children into something dark
• No lyrics, however they are effective in minor key
• Creating enigmas using the above techniques

Preliminary shot list plans

Preliminary Shot List

BBFC and the Thriller genre

The BBFC is a film classification company, who run as a non-governmental body, categorising film using very particular criteria checks since 1912 in the theatres and DVDs since 1984. This criteria determines age ratings, which are:

• U
• PG
• 12
• 12A
• 15
• 18
• R18

The criteria determining age ratings are discrimination, gore, violence, sex, nudity (which can actually be shown to any age, even U if it is not sexualised), imitable behaviour and context primarily. They have the power to push forward for cuts in the movie if there are scenes they believe are inappropriate morally for any age, and can even reject movies or even further so, prosecute if that film contains illegal scenes. Examples of these are the Human Centipede, there was a cut of about 3 minutes due to illegal contents, so if a thriller movie contains too much immoral, insane and imitable behaviour, it may be rejected.

The BBFC gain income by charging the movie production companies based on the length of the film, just by being an individual company. They are only granted money to cover their costs being an individual non-governmental organisation. Their fees are only organised based on the income they gain from the films they charge; a film is charged by the BBFC.

Shot list

Preliminary Evaluation

Created with Padlet

Psycho assessment

Focus: Assessment

How is cinematography used to create atmosphere in the shower scene of ‘Psycho’?

The camerawork in the scene is primarily used to make the scene more dramatic with the constant use of close-ups and high angle shots to make the victim seem less powerful than she already is in this situation. There is the frequent inclusion of POV (point of view) shots to show the perspective of the murderer and the victim, but still using close ups or medium shots. These are used to create tension and strip the victim of all power, not only that but to show each and every one of her reactions to keep tension high until the scene concludes.

 The editing during the actual murder is to make the scene seem more of a montage to capture each stab, each reaction and each action into a short space of time, whilst simultaneously upholding the tension. But before the actual murder and after it the editing is slow with minimal switches of the camera.

Before the murder, diegetic sound is used to capture the sound of the shower and to show there is lack of chaos at the time. While the murder takes place, the non-diegetic sound is added, with the trademark ‘Psycho’ screech and with sound effects to imitate the sound of flesh being slashed by the knife.

Outside the bathroom is dark, and the camera is obscured by the shower curtain in this scene, that combined with the light of the bathroom obscures not only the murderer’s entrance, but when they pull the shower curtain back it obscures their face. The victim isn’t wearing any clothes which instantly shows that she has been stripped of all power and gives a complete sense of vulnerability, with her back against the wall and a murderer slashing her from the front so she has no way of escaping. The murderer is holding a knife, which puts them in a position of power and shows their intentions instantly.

In this shot, it’s a more over the shoulder and medium shot to draw the attention to the obscured doorway that is almost out of view due to the frosted effect on the shower curtains. This, alongside the lighting which contrasts the darker doorway creates a slight bit of insecurity because the viewer is as clueless as the victim, not only putting a feeling of vulnerability on the victim but upon the viewer too. The use of diegetic sound, of simply just the shower running, no suspense music has been included yet, creates a sense of tranquillity showing that there is nothing bad occurring at this current moment, but yet signifying that this could all change in an instant which is a very popular convention of Thriller movies. With her back turned to the shower curtain, this could further show that she is vulnerable and open to attack because she is facing the wall, so not only can she not see through the shower curtain, but she is facing a blocked area so she can’t escape either. She is wearing no clothes here, which creates a feeling of her, again, being open to attack. People who wear clothes or thick clothes are portrayed as having a chance and that they won’t be caught off guard but in this situation, she is naked and has no cover so she can easily be caught off guard if someone were to enter.

The motif created by this one scene will be that of vulnerability, and lack of power and that is because this victim in particular is off guard and completely open, oblivious to the fact that someone may have entered her home. This is used to build up tension and create an unsettling atmosphere, keeping the viewer prepared for anything at any time and ensuring, at this point in the movie, that they are not relaxed and forced to expect anything at any time.

 

 

 

Here, an extreme close-up of the knife is used to show instantly the sudden danger and chaos of the situation, this is the point in the scene where the bell chimes for this character showing that she is in fact most definitely going to die. This casts the exact feeling the actress is feeling across the viewer, making them feel helpless and powerless. Also, the fact that the camera is tilted up to show the perspective of the knife from a lower angle shows that the murderer is in power and that the victim is defenceless. Non-diegetic sound is introduced here, which is the ‘Psycho screech’, which builds tension, and the screech develops and consistently builds tension and throws the mind of the viewer into a frenzy, the exact situation occurring here. The focus on the knife with the background blurred, with the bathroom light highlighting it as a significant prop is used to show that this knife could possibly be the one that is used to kill every victim, this is the murderer’s trademark weapon and they will not change it so the light highlight is very significant. Also, the murderer’s face is removed from the frame, which the director would have used to keep the viewer wondering who is committing the atrocity. This is where the pandemonium breaks out and the editing becomes much more rapid, and each stab and slash of the knife is compiled into a more montage style of editing to cram all the information of what is happening here, and to show how chaotic the situation is, giving a reflection of how panicked the victim is.

Again, the lack of power and vulnerability crops up again because the knife shows evidently who is in power, which is why weapons are used as props, to shift the power between characters. The knife is used to establish that this killer will have that state of power throughout the movie, which is a very fundamental convention of Slasher Thriller movies; setting up the foundations of the murderer’s intentions and style of killing.

Another extreme close-up of the knife, however it is focused on the knife to blur out the face of the murderer and to show that the woman has in fact now been stabbed. The actual stab is removed from the frame because it’s a thriller and not a gory horror, and not only that but censorship was much stricter when the film was made and the revelation of so much of the victim was a big deal as it is, so they had to cover up most things by not only removing the actual stabs to her from the frame but her body also, as best as they can. It does show a few stabs to her and some of her body with the necessary parts out of camera shot. There is the use of non-diegetic sound edited in the represent the sound of the knife cutting the victim, which is clearly edited since she’s not actually being stabbed. The lighting and water work together to obscure the face of the murderer, combined with the montage style editing just throws the whole situation into chaos to shock the viewer with this sudden change in pace. It appears to be a POV shot of the victim getting stabbed so it makes the viewer feel like they’re actually there at the scene getting stabbed by this psycho.

After having suddenly sprung from a slow pace, relaxed scene of being in the shower, the situation really escalates quickly and gives a clear insight on just how the mind of this killer works perhaps. Quiet and content one moment and then suddenly snaps and goes into frenzy, killing someone. Either way, the use of the tense, fast pace music and rapid effects of the slashing noises from the stabbing creates such a tense thriller style atmosphere, further setting the scene for the progression of the character in the movie.

The use of pathetic fallacy here to use the weather during the fast paced montage editing further emphasises the scramble of a situation occurring here, the quick switch to a time lapse of the clouds quickly moving, with non-diegetic sound creating a thunder clap shows the viewer how bad the situation is, as weather is often associated with situations, in this case a thunderstorm represents the death of someone. This edit to the clouds outside and the added thunder clap could be the representation of the point in which this victim died, which means this could also show that this is the end of the chaos and that now she is dead, it’s all over, allowing the viewer to finally process the situation that’s just occurred and get a grip on how quickly all of this just happened. The dark clouds show perfectly how evil this character is, and further empowering them by showing that the weather is changed when they commit a bad act, creating that fear factor to the antagonist that is another typical convention in thriller movies.

The lighting in the background could show that the storm is now passing though, giving another hint that the climax of the situation is coming to a close, and that the chaos is over, the murderer struck their last stab on the thunder clap and then that’s it, they immediately calm down once the victim dies and their frenzied mind calms down. Almost as if that thunderstorm is a view of the inside of their head as they killed this victim.

This close-up of the plug hole shows that the situation has now ended and that it is over, as the victim’s blood pours down the plug hole and the use of diegetic sound is used again. All the tense music is gone and it is just the sound of the water draining through the plug and the sound of the shower. That tranquility and sense of security has returned and it is all calm again, the situation has defused. It returns to slow editing, and in this scene the edit fades into a close-up view of the victim’s eyeball with the use of a graphic match. The water going down the drain could be a representation of her life slipping away, hence the use of the graphic match. Everything is all subtle again, no quick paced editing, no music and non-diegetic sound which all comes back as quickly as the murderer came in and sparked the chaos, the mood is changed very quickly to leave the viewer in that state of bemusement typically used in thrillers. The lighting is focused onto the plug hole so that when the frame fades into the one of the victim’s eye, the viewer will be looking straight into it once the scene changes, just to add to the symapthy of the victim after the death.

The quick switch to the calm situation and quiet scene further represents the mind of the murderer, and the typical outbursts of violence in such short spaces of time used in thrillers. The quick change of pace within seconds is a very common conventionof thrillers, because the director’s intention is to keep the viewer on the edge of their seats so the rapid changes In pace leave the viewer lost and of course on the edge of the seat wondering what happens next.

Mise en scene of a thriller opening sequence

Thriller opening sequence analysis

In the opening sequence of ‘Where Birds Don’t Fly’, a bible quote from 1 Peter 5:8 is shown in the frame against a black background quoted ‘Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.’ This instantly highlights the significance of this quote as it is clearly going to be a teaching that is used as a key theme to follow throughout the movie, not only that but it is going to be a thriller with religious motives of both the protagonist and antagonist, the antagonist being the devil devouring people and the protagonist being the person who must be alert and seek out the devil.

Next, it shows a dispute between two officers over who goes into the crime scene first. This shot is filmed as a close-up of both officers’ faces to show the tension of the dispute, as one officer speaks of someone being a child, potentially the first victim. This instantly exposes a weakness of one of the officers and already foreshadows that he may let his guard down, not be vigilant and will end up letting the protagonist devour his mind by exposing this weakness. A low pitch humming sound is used as the first officer comes back into the car, to make evident that he has just left the crime scene, paired with a dazed look on his face to show that he has just left the crime scene, the sound cuts off when the car door shuts.

Following the dispute, the use of non-diegetic sound is introduced to ease in the tense atmosphere typically done in thriller movies, especially crime thrillers. It’s a low pitch humming that crescendos louder as the officer approaches the house, to show that he’s about to see the serial killer’s calling card. The scene is instantly set in California, in the Ruiz residence which is shown as text on the screen, with a time showing it as 8:15 AM, which gives some sequencing to the plot which means the film will cut ahead to later dates and times as the film progresses. In the frame, a mid-shot of two officers is shown, as a POV shot of the protagonist approaching the scene, as they look pitifully upon him handing him a foam mask to wear optionally to mask the smell.

This film follows the common convention of a slow start to a thriller, but regardless of the slow start to the film it actually crams in a lot of information to show the methods of the killer, the natures of the two protagonists and how their lives, personalities and techniques as police officers contrast. Neither are put in a higher position of power with SFX, camerawork and Mise en Scene as they wear the same costume, have the same dazed expression on their face in the crime scene, the low pitch humming is used for both during their experiences of the crime scene. This represents a feeling of reliability, as they will have to rely on each other and work as a team, as partners to conclude this case and catch the antagonist.

Thriller poster study

This Total Recall poster is supposed to give off a dystopian future kind of feel, by showing futuristic architecture in the background but with a grey sky and little colour to the structure shows clearly this is a sci-fi thriller about an alternate future. The text centred to the poster reads ‘what is real?’ combined with the pixel-like squares blowing away, almost like it is just drifting away in the wind.

Big Ben appears to be in the background so this signifies the film may be set in a futuristic London, or it may come to it at some point.

The sunlight contrasts with the unnatural industrial looking buildings, showing a connection between nature and man, linking to the ‘what is real?’ question on this poster. The person on the poster is holding a gun, not only that but he is the only person on the poster, meaning he is the main character clearly. Everything he has is black, from his clothes to his gun and he is stood facing sideways away from the camera looking as if he is deep in thought about something, like someone does when they zone out and contemplate on a tough situation.

The dark, dystopian theme could possibly signify the corruption occurring at this point in this future, as darkness and dullness are usually commonly associated with corruption. The fact he looks as if he is pondering something with such a stance that makes him look unsure of something, followed by the pixels blowing away from him not only shows that he is losing himself somehow, but that possibly he is corrupt, like his memory or his job.

The text saying ‘what is real?’ with the futuristic structure, and the sunlight shows how the contrast between the natural world and the manmade world are possibly going to clash, because these dull, futuristic buildings cast a grey sky, and the sun is clashing with it and lighting the place up, so the sun could possibly represent the protagonist, who will shed some light on the corruption in this future.

The gun signifies revolt, violence and backlash, and the way the character is holding it to his side shows that he isn’t trigger happy; this could also be a recurring thing that he will only revolt against corruption, in retaliation to any issues people present him with.

Both what is shown in the poster, and what each thing in the poster signifies are the same. They both show how dull and corrupt this dystopian future is, and how this character is trying to find out what is really going on in this futuristic city, and that he will find out who he is and the significance of himself in this plot. Both show that he is clueless and losing himself, which point towards the fact that he may have lost his memory, and that he is trying to figure out who is good and who is bad, but finding out that reality is easier said than done.