Research for our opening sequence

Research for our opening sequence:

In order to get a feel for the type of shots, costume and sound used in a political thriller we researched other films that used certain techniques that might be effective in our own thriller. 

(Just looking at the first 2 minutes of this clip)

Here, the characters are dressed neatly in suits, but the three piece suits seem to be the most official looking so would be more appropriate to use one for our politician. Also, the papers are in big paper folders, which again would work well in our thriller. The hair is neatly slicked back, which again makes the men look more official. Furthermore, there are no close up shots used in this extract which creates a barrier between the audience and the characters, thus suggesting that they are of a higher status. Our group was not planning on revealing the politicians face during our extract, therefore this co-insides with the idea from this extract.

Another film we looked at was The Ides of March.

This scene helps to establish the tone of a political thriller. The quick cutting is the most effective technique used here and would help raise tension in our own thriller. 

Research for our opening sequence

Research for our opening sequence:

Looking into other aspects of our thriller there is the scene from The Aviator that includes a hand washing sequence.

Here the director cuts quickly between a close up of Leonardo Di Caprio's hands and then to his face and then back again. This establishes a link between the actions he is doing and how they are making him film. The use of soap here is key and would be a really good idea to use in our thriller. Also the birds eye view shot looking straight down into the sink is effective, and would work well in our thriller.





Another poignant hand washing sequence is in the film version of Macbeth.

Unfortunately, I could not upload the video onto my blog, but in the sequence we see Macbeth wash his hands in a basin. What was effective in this sequence, was that the speed of the hand washing became more intense as Macbeth felt he could not get rid of the blood on his hands. This would work in our thriller well and would help build tension.

Research for our opening sequence

 

 

Research for our opening sequence

 

 

 

Plunkett and Macleane is a 1999 British Historical action comedy film (directed by Jack Scott). In this hanging scene the victim escapes which links with our sequence as the girl is not actually trying to kill herself. Therefore, the fact that this character does not die shows that it is possible to hang someone without immediate death.

 

 

 

 

The music here adds to the tension and makes the audience on edge. The point of view shot of the man looking down once he has been hung is very effective as puts the audience in the victims place. The cut from this shot to a birds eye view shot shows high the victim is in the air and how much he is struggling and is again very effective.

 

 

 

 

Angle of Mercy is an American drama which includes the hanging of a young girl.

 

 

 

 

The close up of the little girl with the background of branches highlights that she is hanging in a tree. This would be effective to use as it shows both aspects of the hanging; the noose and the tree. The mid shots of the feet swaying with the stool being removed would again be a good shot to use, as it would capture the moment before the girl is actually hung. The wide shot of the tree with all the victims hanging is very disturbing and like the film Sinister, it really drives home the atmosphere of death and cruelty. 

Research for our opening sequence

 

Research for opening sequence

 

 

 

 

Carrying on our research we discovered other films that used hangings.

 

Girl, Interrupted in a 1999 drama film that uses a hanging scene.

The hanging in this scene also uses music to foreshadow the moment and it also heightens the tension. Furthermore the wide shot of the two girls standing in the door with the girl hanging in the background is extremely disturbing. Also, as the director mainly uses close ups it shows how lifeless the body is thus highlights how quick and sudden the death is.


Another example is Sinister which is a supernatural horror film, directed by Scott Derrickson.

Music here is again very useful at setting the creepy atmosphere and building suspense. The wide shot used throughout allows the audience to witness the whole event clearly. The slow movement of the bodies moving upwards and the lack lustre movements of the actors legs adds to the ominous atmosphere and makes the scene even more terrible. The slower movements of the actions is more effective instead of quick shaking of the legs which could be scene as comical and unrealistic.

Also, this is part of the opening of the film therefore it shows that there are other products that have disturbing moments from the start. This would make it easier for us to show a full hanging in our opening sequence.

 

 

Research for our opening sequnce

 

 

Research for our opening sequence

 

 

 

We continued to research our opening sequence in order to gain inspiration for camera angles for the hanging scene as well as how explicit other products displayed the hanging.

 

 

In the American Western, True Grit (directed and produced by the Coen Brothers) uses a very explicit hanging scene.

 

 

 

The wide shot used fully shows the hanging, and the sound clearly shows that the men's necks were broken. The wide shot really allows the audience to fully see the hanging and makes it hard for them to focus on anything else.

 

 

Additionally, in the 2000  American docudrama Nuremburg there is a very effective hanging scene.

 

 

The use of slow motion is very effective here as it really captures the horror of the hanging and allows the audience to fully witness the event. The low angle shot from beneath the victim is very powerful as it makes the audience feel as if the body is coming straight towards them. It also shows the terrible wait between falling and death. The combination of the this low angle shot and the slow motion makes this hanging very explicit.

 

In our opening sequence we could use both effects in order to really capture the length of time the girl falls for until the moment she hangs herself.



Research for our opening sequence

Research for our opening sequence:

I researched how other films hanged characters and how they achieved it so that I could apply certain ideas to the opening sequence of our thriller. 

For example, in the British drama Kidulthood (directed by Menhaj Huda) a young girl kills herself. 

In this scene, they use an over the shoulder shot to show her writing the suicide note, which means the audience don't actually get to see what is written. This creates a mystery and a coldness over the scene. 

Also, they don't show a wide shot of the hanging, only a mid shot of her feet dangling and then a mid shot of her face. This works as it portrays how lifeless she is the horror of what she has done. Moreover, there is not a shot showing her actually hanging herself, only a cut from the parents breaking down the door to her dangling feet. This shows the brutality of the hanging, without being over the top. 

There is a mid shot of the fallen chair as well, which gives the audience information on how she had achieved this. We had not considered this for our opening sequence, so we need to work out what she will stand on before hand. 

The background music in this scene is highly ironic as it repeats the phrase "stay positive". The music here really captures how terrible the suicide is, so it would be good to consider using music in our hanging scene.

Another example, is the hanging in the American drama The Shawshank Redemption (directed by Frank Darabont).

Here, the beginning shots are solely focused on the feet and everything else is blurred out. The close up of him scratching in the wall, makes the audience wonder what he is writing, so adds a sense of mystery to the scene. The close up of his face also shows the sadness he is feeling. 

The mid shot of the stool rocking is the most poignant shot used. The suspense as it rocks back and forth really draws the audience in and makes them want to prevent the act from happening. This is an effect I think would work well in our piece and would really heighten the tension in the scene. Also, the depth of field of the shot allows the audience to see him with the rope around his neck in the reflection of the mirror behind him. This means that audience don't directly see the noose but only slightly see it, but still get the idea of him hanging himself.

The close up of "Brooks was here" and the panning out to the mid shot of him hanging shows the audience how terrible this suicide is. The fact that the audience do not get to see his face also adds to how horrific this scene is, as it detaches the audience from the character because they no longer get to see his reaction.

Again, the music here adds to the sorrow of the suicide and really heightens the drama in the piece.


After watching these two hangings, I believe that our group need to focus on the stool/chair the girl will jump off and how we can create suspense before she jumps. Also, by adding a certain soundtrack behind the hanging we could really create a sinister and twisted atmosphere. These hangings both show that less is more, and the less you see makes the act seem even more terrible.

KYLE COOPER EXAMPLE NUMBER 3:

Kyle Cooper also helps to design adverts. 

KEY FACTORS:

• The music used in the advert is happy and uplifting thus making the product seem more desirable and intriguing. Also, as the song is about pictures it connects with the product further. 

• The setting is in a messy home environment, therefore implying to the audience that this product can be used anywhere and by anyone. 

• By bringing the frame up to his face and then the image appears, shows the skill of Cooper's editing and makes the audience believe that getting the image is instant, which is exactly the idea HP want to sell. Also, as the images are fun faces so adds to the upbeat advert.

• The large writing that comes across the screen of "You are your own photo opportunity" entices the audience in. The word "YOU" is larger than the rest as is bolder, therefore makes the advert personal to the watcher. The switch from "YOU+HP" to the black screen with the companies logo, again shows Cooper's skill of editing, and connects the product with the company. 

• Also, there are many parody videos of this advert, which shows that many people were excited by the advert and wanted to know if they could do the same thing at home. Therefore, this increases the interest in the product which is exactly what HP wanted thus Cooper did his work very well. 

I enjoyed this advert. It conveys the right amount of information in its short time period, while also being uplifting and interesting to watch.