Analysis Of Titles From An Example Genre

At the beginning of the project, we looked at the typical elements of the titles and openings of films from the thriller genre, to show an example of what will be expected from us in the main part of the project.

From this, some of the typical conventions that are adopted by films from the thriller genre are made fairly clear. For instance, we can see that the sound is considered to be of high importance, and that orchestral music is the most frequented implementation of non-diegetic music in this genre. This is because the usage of strings and such like can easily be manipulated into an eerie, menacing or unsettling sound. They effect of this is often to incite tension and fear into the audience.

Films from a thriller genre regularly play on and enforce typical stereotypes, the most common being gender based i.e. the strong and powerful men of either an evil (the 'bad' guy) or protective (the 'good' guy) nature, in juxtaposition to the weak, defenceless females, often seen as the victims. Additionally, racial and ethnic stereotypes are enforced, with characters of a foreign background typically playing the villains, and the caucasian male - most often British or American, as the dominant hero.

The camera is often manipulated to highlight and support these stereotypes, through the typical usage of angling - lower angles on the powerful men, and high angles looking down upon the terrified victims - most often the female characters. Camera movement such as tracking shots are often used to emphasise the powerful stance of the hero - following his movements and thus making him seem to be the most important character.

Another typical convention seen to be utilised in the thriller genre would be low lighting. This creates shadow upon the faces of characters, adding to a feel of mystery, and creating a little discomfort in the audience due to the negative connotations commonly associated with the shadow, particularly in this genre.

Therefore, from this we can conclude that the opening sequence to films of a Thriller genre often introduce and familiarise the audience with either the hero or the villain immediately, and serve an overall purpose to create as much suspense and tension in the audience as is possible within the first few minutes through the use of lighting, music and camera manipulation.

Preliminary Exercise - Continuity Editing (2)

The editing part of our continuity task went reasonably well. One member of our group had had previous experience with iMovie - the programme we were using to edit, and so it was a relatively straightforward process.

The Match On Action was particularly successful, as the action appeared to flow undisturbed between shots, and we managed to include a selection of different angles viewing the action.

Overall the task was quite successful and it flowed well, although we did encounter some difficulties in relation to sound, as the cameras didn't quite manage to pick up all the dialogue and there is some additional talking in some shots. This means that we will have to go back to it at some point and dub the sound over again.

Preliminary Exercise - Continuity Editing (1)

Continuity editing is a fundamental principle of moving image production, involving the smooth editing of shots so that the narrative seems to flow uninterrupted. This promotes the feeling of realism in a piece of film, as it can be unsettling to the viewer if the natural flow of a sequence is disrupted.

Our task involved the filming and editing of a piece, which should involve a character opening a door, then sitting down with another character, with whom they would then proceed to exchange a few lines of dialogue. It should also demonstrate the usage of the '180° rule' and a match on action shot.

The 180° rule

The 180° rule is a basic film-making guideline stating that once an imaginary line (cutting through the middle of a scene from side to side) has been established in a shot, then the camera should remain positioned on one half of that line, therefore giving the two characters or other elements in that scene the same left/right relationship to each other throughout. If the camera crosses the line, thus breaking the rule, the visual outcome is often confusing and disorientating to the viewer, therefore is something that is usually to be avoided.

Match On Action

A Match On Action is a continuity cut which unites multiple different views of the same action together, at the same moment in movement, making the action appear uninterrupted. It can be fairly difficult to achieve, as the timings between cuts have to be very precise, or it will not flow properly. For our Match On Action, we shot the couple in the scene taking each other by the hand and then walking away. We shot this action numerous times, from a range of different angles and viewpoints, so that we could capture the action from start to finish.

I feel that the filming aspect of this task went quite well, as we managed to get a wide variety of shots and angles, and as far as I am aware, we included everything that we needed. When we got round to actually filming, we worked together quite effectively, although up until that point it had taken our group a while to come up with an idea. We experienced some difficulties whilst filming, such as the fact that we had missed out certain parts that would be vital to continuity, but these were resolved quite quickly, and I am fairly satisfied with how it turned out.

Title Sequence Research - The Number 23

'The Number 23' is a mystery thriller film, focusing on what is known as the '23 Enigma' - the belief that most incidents or events have a connection either directly to the integer of 23, or to modifications or related numbers. The title sequence very much revolves around this theory, manipulating it in such a way as to unsettle the audience.

The titles begin by fading into a blank, pale beige screen, creating the illusion of some sort of paper like material. The name of the production company presenting the film, 'New Line Cinema' appears in the corner. Text is emphasised by the abundance of empty space surrounding it, creating a feeling of isolation, as seen above. The font is made to look like that of a typewriter and is written in black, contrasting against the lighter background, meaning it can be read easily, as well as maintaining an overall impression of plainness. The editing throughout the first 20 seconds or so is fairly slow, and is accompanied by a non-diegetic track of soft orchestral music - something highly conventional of the thriller genre, representing what could be seen as the 'calm before the storm'.

This soon changes, however, at around 25 seconds in to the titles. The title of the film is shown in a dark red, emphasising it from the black text surrounding it - multiple repetitions of the number 23. The title then fades in a way that resembles the spreading of blood - another typical convention of films of this genre, thus immediately conveying the film type, and an element of what can probably be expected from he narrative. The title sequence uses the theory of the '23 Enigma' increasingly as it goes along, highlighting it's importance to the film by allocating more and more of the space in the frame to reinforce the phenomenon. This is achieved both through the repetition of the number, as well as the inclusion of facts and historical events which have had some connection with the number - for example, momentous dates in history which add up to 23.

Non -diegetic sound is used at this point to create pace and tension, through layering an edgier, more unnerving orchestral with a fast paced beat. Sound effects are also used throughout, emphasising transitions between frames, and further adding to the feeling of suspense. The synchronous sound of a typewriter is sometimes used as text appears, suggesting that is is being frantically typed as it goes. The creation of this feeling is aided by the increase in the pace of editing as the sequence progresses. Much more sweeping movements and zooms are used in the shots, creating a feeling of uneasiness in the viewer, enhanced by the abundant imagery of blood seeping across the screen. Flash effects are layered on top of the frame, giving the impression of subliminal messaging and reinforcing the importance of the number 23 to the film.

Towards the end of the sequence, the majority of the screen is taken up by pools of blood, with little blank space left in the frame. The editing is extremely fast paced and choppy, and shots flow so rapidly that the text can be quite difficult to read. The usage of bright flashes increases dramatically within the final few seconds of the titles, unsettling the audience further, and fueling feelings apprehension. The strings build to a higher pitched climax, as the music grows louder and the sounds blend, before coming to an abrupt stop. The end of the titles shows the screen being fully saturated with the blood, and a large number '23' in the centre of the frame. The colours blend together into one, and then the red fades into the first scene of the film. We see someone sat in a truck, living life as normal, as the non-diegetic sound of a comparatively softer orchestral piece plays.

I feel that this is a particularly successful opening title sequence, as it clearly conveys typical conventions of the genre, immediately suggesting to the audience what they can expect from the film. It also keeps the viewer in suspense, even before the film itself has started, intriguing them with the usage of facts and figures.