Codes and Conventions
Enigma - A mystery is always present in a thriller film. In the opening scene of Saw 1 the mystery is the two men chained to the poles and also the dead body that lays on the floor.
Suspense - The mental uncertainty caused by a film which leads to anxiety about the outcomes of certain actions taken in the film. In prom night when Richard has the hat on he is trying to cover up his identity and this causes uncertainty for the audience who try to figure him out.
Tension - The mental strain given to the audience by the thriller film. At the start of Saw 1 there is intense music playing which with the pitch played at makes it a tense environment.
Character Representation - Studying the characters costume and facial expressions we can understand what mental position they are in, also by the way they act. Kristen in The Strangers is wearing the light colored dress and she has the frown on her face which makes her look like a victim as she is presented very weak.
Violence - An act of Brutality is always present within thrillers for the extra edge, it makes the environment fire up after the tension has built up. For example in scream 2 when Randy is talking on the phone the mysterious characters voice creates tension until randy is killed at the end of the scene.
Dramatic Irony - When something is understood by the audience but not quite gasped by the characters. The police are murdered in scream 4 but the others do not know about it and when they go and get help from them they realize that they're not there.
Sound - When sounds are played at different adjustments at different times to allow a variation of emotions to be created within the audience. The high pitch sounds used at the start of Saw 1 within the opening scene, allows for tension to build up and this technique is useful as it plays with the audiences thoughts by changing their emotions.
Editing Techniques - This is how the clips are edited differently to change the pace of the movie, in a Thriller slow editing is used to build up tension so that when a different editing technique is used the tense outcome is suspended. The strangers has a scene when someone is knocking on the door and the pace of the film is moving very slow to build up tension during the scene.
Costume/Identity - The costume work by a character is very important as it reflects on the part they take in a movie. Looking at the film Scream the killer is dressed in black with the grim reapers mask showing he is taking part to kill people in the story line.
Codes and Conventions in opening of Saw
Low key lighting - Dark opening to the scene
High key lighting - After the lights are switched on it is very bright
Setting - Dirty abandoned bathroom which looks abandoned and disused
Sound - Intense music to create tension
The voice of the man shouting
Enigma - Two men chained up with a dead body
In his hands are a gun and tape recorder
Editing - Slow editing with some jump cuts
Costumes - casual outfits showing they were abducted while having a normal day
Characters - A Doctor and a man called Adam
Opening scene from Saw 1
In the opening scene of the movie Saw 1, it begins with the camera shot and in the mise en scene there is low key lighting used as there is no lighting used in the frame. It starts off with off screen sound as we cannot see where the sound is coming from, but we know the place is far and abandoned as another voice tells him to be quiet, its pointless yelling
When the lights are switched on the camera find it difficult to focus as do the characters being consumed by the dark for a while. The high key lighting now allows us to view the situation occurring in what seems like a bathroom. When we get a perspective of what is inside the abandoned bathroom, we see a dead body on the floor covered in blood and two men chained to water pipes on the side. This creates enigma as the first thought of the audience is suspicion of how the two men were brought here, and what is of the body which seems dead for now.
The dead body on the floor, covered in blood and brutal scars, has a gun in one hand and in the other a tape recorder. This adds tension, as the gun only has one purpose to kill, but the audience doesn't understand why it is there. The tape recorder to play a tape, but if no tapes in it, then where are they.
While the camera does a 360 over the body on the floor, the high pitch intense sounds used create suspense as they give the impression something bad has happened.
The way this opening scene works is how it creates a lot of questions and the way the sound and lighting is used contributes to the fact that the problem the two men are enduring needs to be solved, but looking at the elements of the scene we can see it isn't gonna be an easy escape for the struggles.
How Saw 1 opening scene will help me in my opening scene
The Lighting techniques used for the Mise-En-Scene will be something i would work with because it is a very important aspect of a thriller film, how the light portrays scene.
The sound techniques are very good as they effectively strain on to the audience building some good suspense throughout any scene.
The mystery created is also useful for tension, if the audience at some points feel confused or do not understand what is going on this makes it a tense composure for them as they watch the thriller.
Scream 1 Opening scene
The opening scene starts of in a kitchen where Casey is making popcorn. In this scene we only see the garden and home interior. It seems like she lives alone so if anything were to happen to her nobody would really notice. Casey is represented as easy as she quickly falls into a conversation with the stranger on the phone, she also looks very on edge as she reacts immediately to things that happen. She is wearing white clothing which reflects on her as being the weaker character.
The popcorn builds its own tension as the bag keeps expanding you never know when its going to explode. In terms of shock surprise suspense , suspense is being built up as the stranger on the phone taunts Casey. Surprise element in this scene is that is the caller ever going to shoe himself to Casey. Shock contradicts on if something does happen to Casey , how then will the audience feel.
There is a wiry tone playing during this scene which helps build up tension as at one point the sound good intensify and reflect on the story of the film. The strangers voice on the phone is also very subtle as it draws the question to who he may be.
When she has been killed and is hanging on the tree, there is a jump cut editing technique from her mother seeing her, then the camera focusing straight on the body with a close up camera shot viewing Casey hanging on the tree. Also when she is being chased by the killer the music pitch varies on the action taking place.
Codes and Conventions in opening of Saw
Low key lighting - Dark opening to the scene
High key lighting - After the lights are switched on it is very bright
Setting - Dirty abandoned bathroom which looks abandoned and disused
Sound - Intense music to create tension
The voice of the man shouting
Enigma - Two men chained up with a dead body
In his hands are a gun and tape recorder
Editing - Slow editing with some jump cuts
Costumes - casual outfits showing they were abducted while having a normal day
Characters - A Doctor and a man called Adam
Opening scene from Saw 1
In the opening scene of the movie Saw 1, it begins with the camera shot and in the mise en scene there is low key lighting used as there is no lighting used in the frame. It starts off with off screen sound as we cannot see where the sound is coming from, but we know the place is far and abandoned as another voice tells him to be quiet, its pointless yelling
When the lights are switched on the camera find it difficult to focus as do the characters being consumed by the dark for a while. The high key lighting now allows us to view the situation occurring in what seems like a bathroom. When we get a perspective of what is inside the abandoned bathroom, we see a dead body on the floor covered in blood and two men chained to water pipes on the side. This creates enigma as the first thought of the audience is suspicion of how the two men were brought here, and what is of the body which seems dead for now.
The dead body on the floor, covered in blood and brutal scars, has a gun in one hand and in the other a tape recorder. This adds tension, as the gun only has one purpose to kill, but the audience doesn't understand why it is there. The tape recorder to play a tape, but if no tapes in it, then where are they.
While the camera does a 360 over the body on the floor, the high pitch intense sounds used create suspense as they give the impression something bad has happened.
The way this opening scene works is how it creates a lot of questions and the way the sound and lighting is used contributes to the fact that the problem the two men are enduring needs to be solved, but looking at the elements of the scene we can see it isn't gonna be an easy escape for the struggles.
How Saw 1 opening scene will help me in my opening scene
The Lighting techniques used for the Mise-En-Scene will be something i would work with because it is a very important aspect of a thriller film, how the light portrays scene.
The sound techniques are very good as they effectively strain on to the audience building some good suspense throughout any scene.
The mystery created is also useful for tension, if the audience at some points feel confused or do not understand what is going on this makes it a tense composure for them as they watch the thriller.
Scream 1 Opening scene
The opening scene starts of in a kitchen where Casey is making popcorn. In this scene we only see the garden and home interior. It seems like she lives alone so if anything were to happen to her nobody would really notice. Casey is represented as easy as she quickly falls into a conversation with the stranger on the phone, she also looks very on edge as she reacts immediately to things that happen. She is wearing white clothing which reflects on her as being the weaker character.
The popcorn builds its own tension as the bag keeps expanding you never know when its going to explode. In terms of shock surprise suspense , suspense is being built up as the stranger on the phone taunts Casey. Surprise element in this scene is that is the caller ever going to shoe himself to Casey. Shock contradicts on if something does happen to Casey , how then will the audience feel.
There is a wiry tone playing during this scene which helps build up tension as at one point the sound good intensify and reflect on the story of the film. The strangers voice on the phone is also very subtle as it draws the question to who he may be.
When she has been killed and is hanging on the tree, there is a jump cut editing technique from her mother seeing her, then the camera focusing straight on the body with a close up camera shot viewing Casey hanging on the tree. Also when she is being chased by the killer the music pitch varies on the action taking place.
You made a good start in describing the codes and conventions of a thriller, but you failed to relate these points back to your chosen films and this makes your analysis weak and basic.
ReplyDeleteRefer back to the lesson to support you in making the necessary changes
The micro elements that you have included on 'Scream' does show some understanding of what a thriller is and this is because you have considered the points well. Now you need to apply these points to you 'Saw' analysis too.
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