Cinematography- opening sequence- Analysis

During the planning of the opening sequence I decided that the first scene should be a close up of the character sleeping. The intense expression on the character's face can be decoded as stress and nightmares by the audience.  After the character in the scene wakes up the camera then tilts upwards thus showing us the posters and notes on the wall. The message we tried to encode by doing this was that the character is a hard working person who is completely obsessed with something, ergo making the audience question the mental health of the character. It also makes the audience anxious to know what he is obsessed about.
The beginning of the second scene (bridge/crime scene), my team and I decided to use a mid shot to show the two main characters investigating the scene. After that they walk of onto the bridge and the camera tracks them as the walk. One could argue that the character at the front is the more dominate character as he is the one leading the second character. The camera then moves to a close up up the two characters talking to show their facial expression. This close- up reveals the cigarette in the main character's hand. This connotes stress and addition. After the two characters finish arguing the camera angles moves to a long shot of the main character walking down the bride. I added this to show how lonely and depressed he was.

The next scene is a mid shot of the main character's room. We can see that it is messy and the walls are a full of paper and notes stuck onto it, thus showing the main character hardly has time for himself but rather spends most of his time researching. He then walks towards the camera and there shot becomes and extreme close up on his shirt. The whole bathroom scene was filmed in a close up to show the reaction of the character. After he leaves the bathroom the camera tracks him till he gets to the room.

Opening Sequence- Changes- OBSESSION

We made many changes to the opening sequence but the biggest change we made was the removal of the picture collage -  opening credits. This was a collection of pictures we came across during our research on the illuminati and the thriller genre and some of it was footage One other team member and I shot during lessons. I printed outed out some articles and we filmed in from a close up angle. Then we uploaded the footage and added some special effect to it to make it appear noir. We also wanted to include clues as to what the title 'OBSESSION' was referring to. We got our inspiration from the opening of the film 'seven' which is a psychological thriller. At the time we made it we believed that it was the best way to set the tone for the opening sequence but as time went on we noticed that it did not adapt to the new developments we made. Further more we afraid of going over the given time limit for the opening sequence as a whole, meaning we had to make some cut backs.

Overall I do not regret taking this out as it did not work with the other changes we made. It also wasted a lot of time ergo giving up little time to include the other footage we had.
Here is a reminder.

Opening Sequence- Final Cut - OBSESSION

Here is the final cut for our opening sequence. The name of the opening sequence is obsession because we think it works well with the theme of the film and it also helps set the tone for the film. After carrying out some audience research we made some changes to the opening sequence, taking into consideration the views of the target audience. Further more my team and I decided to cut some scenes and remove some entirely in order to keep within the time frame we have been given. But overall the opening sequence turned out well and even though we were not able to include all the potage we had, I believe it still works well on the target audience.

Film summary- Seven- Thriller

Seven is a conventional thriller film made in 1995, written by Andrew Kevin Walker and directed by David Ficher. The film stars Brad Pitt (Mills) and Morgan Freeman (Sommerset) as two intelligent and keen homicide detectives. Their main objective was to hunt down a vindictive serial killer (John Doe) who seeks revenge on the world due to the ignorance of human beings. His main victims where people who he found guilty of committing the seven deadly sins which are Pride, Envy,  Gluttony , Lust , Anger, Sloth. Mills is a short tempered detective who recently transferred to a new department and a new city with his beloved wife Gwyneth Paltrow (Tracy), his wife doesn't seem to be delighted with the idea of moving to a new city. The film gives us an insight of the work life of the two characters as well as their personal life which helps us the viewer’s empathize with them and also helps us see things from their point of view. John Doe the serial killer is absent from most of the first half of the film however we the viewers are fed with images of his victims thus giving us a sense of brutality. In the film Morgan Freeman (Somerset) plays a more mature detective who was on the verge of going into retirement but lured back to solve one last case.

Opening Analysis- Brick 2005- Neo noir

The film greets the audience with a calm and steady sound. The volume of the non-diegetic sound starts off quite and low pitched it also sounds like western music, this gives the audience the impression of loneliness and isolation. The sound which plays through the first scene sounds very mournful which signifies death and grief.  The sound has a feel and overall texture of noir films. It features traditional  instruments such as the piano, trumpet and violin. In the second scene we hear school bells ringing and faint noises of children in a play ground in the background which gives the impression that the scene was filmed on school grounds. The diegetic sound of the school bell is an example of a sound bride where the sound carries on into the next shoot. After the shocking scene that the audience have just seen. In the next scene we hear a phone ring. The ring of the phone sounds old fashioned and is almost identical to phone sounds in many noir films like ''Double Indemnity'' and ''Maltese Falcon''. The dialogue also resembles the noir film style. The Lady on the phone who we later find out is Emily, sounds concerned about the main character. At first she asks him how he's doing and he answers ''Status quo'' but as she goes on we notice that there is a sense of fear and regret in her voice. Her voice grew more and more fearful as a sound of a car approached the area. The sound from the speeding car and the voice of  Emily goes well together, as the car got closer the panic level in her voice increased. This gives the impression that she was being hunted or chased and it also helps build up the excitement because the audience begin to question why she's being chased and what will happen is she gets caught.

Firstly the camera pans from the filthy walls of the tunnel to the main character. we then notice that he is squatting on and critically analysing something. The camera then transitions into an extreme close up on the eyes of the main characters face (Brendan) This hides information from the audience. His eyes are glued to the dead body in front of him which gives us the impression he is in a mental state of shock. But one may argue that his lack of emotion was due to the fact that he was a brave character. The camera then transitions to a mid shot of the tunnel and it suddenly becomes clear to the audience what the main character (Brendan) is looking at. He was deeply staring at the dead body of a girl lying at the entrance of the tunnel. The camera then goes back to Brendan but there is still no expression on his face. The eye line match  used here shows that the two characters had something to do with each other and that Brendan might have had something to do with the girl’s death. By using the eye-line match, the audience can see that the Brendan has no change in reaction as he is looking at the girl.The camera then shows us a close up on the girls features like her shoes and half of her hidden face and also her hands. We then experience a graphic match into the next scene. This shows the changes in atmosphere to one that is normal and familiar to teenage viewers. This seen when the audience are shown the girl's hand with the bracelets on in the water which cuts to a shot after the title of the hand putting a note into the locker. The camera then focuses on a young boy approaching the locker. We quickly notice from his shoes that he is the boy we saw at the tunnel. The camera then transitions to a wide angle view of the entire locker area as the boy looks around to see if anyone was around. The whole entire area is empty which emphasizes on the fact that the boy is lonely and isolated. 

Mise en scene is the arrangement of scenery and properties to represent a place where the scene takes place and it also helps the audience understand. In the first scene we see and extreme close up on the main characters face. We notice he is wearing round old fashion glasses which gives us the impression that he is cryptically analysing something or perhaps he could be a detective. We are then shown a dark tunnel with a dead body of a girl lying right at the edge of it. This implies that there is something dark about the death of the girl. We are then shown the features of the dead girl, her skin is very pale and she wearing a dress and a pair of high heals, perhaps she is what is commonly known as a femme fatale. Right before the scene ends we notice that the dead girl is wearing a bunch of distinctively blue bracelets. In  the next scene we see an arm with the same bracelets putting a note in a locker. By using the same blue bracelet the audience get the impression that the girl putting a note in the locker is the same girl who was found dead by the edge of the tunnel.The note gives the audience the impression that the girl with the blue bracelets has some secretes. The title then appears on the screen written in white on a black background which resembles the film noir ''white of black'' tittle sequence. After the tittle sequence we notice a young boy approaching the lockers, he opens the locker a find the note asking him to meet up in ''Sarmentoso''. In the next shot we see a sign reading ''Sarmentoso'' confirming that the boy obeyed the orders given to him in the note. 

The lighting in the first scene of the opening sequence is very low-key like in many film noir/ neo- noir films. This gives the impression that something shocking has just happened. The mood and the darkness of the tunnel implies that there are dark secrets behind close doors. The mood changes in the next scene. The light becomes brighter, the lockers and the sound of children in the play ground gives us a sense of school environment. In the next scene we notice that the light is lightly dimmer which goes well with the empty road because the both give the impression of lonesomeness.

Neo Noir - ''Brick 2005''- Fillm Summary

Brick is a 2005 film written and directed by Rian Johnson. The film 'Brick' is a great example of neo-noir thriller films due to the way its presented to the audience and the typical film noir characters it features. like most neo/film noir films the story is never clear while it unfolds which creates suspense and leaves the audience at the edge of their seat. Further there are many twists in the film which can be easily compared to the classic film noir film 'Double indemnity'.

The film's narrative centres on a hard-boiled detective story and like many classic gangster movies it is set in California. The film stars Joseph Gordon Levitt (Brendan)  a fearless high school student who isn't afraid to speak out and is ready to back up his words with actions. This becomes evident to the audience when he hid the body of his former girl friend in a tunnel and vows to track down her killers and revenge her death . Brendan is the protagonist in the film along side his acquaintance Brian. Brendan embarks on a journey to solve the murder of his former girlfriend after he found her dead at the entrance of a storm tunnel. It all started when Brendan finds a note in his locker from his former girlfriend Emily who wanted to meet him near a phone booth on a solitary road. Brendan then receives a phone call from a petrified Emily who begs him to help her just before hanging up due to passing car, from which  a distinctive looking cigarette was thrown. But before Emily fled she left Brendan clues about the issue that was causing her to live in fear as if she knew she was going to die. The clues where ''brick'', ''poor Frisco'', ''tug'' and the ''pin''. The investigation led Brendan through dangerous territory but he never gave up which signifies the love and affection he still had for former girlfriend Emily, he later found out that she was three months pregnant with his baby which made her death even more heart wrenching.


 

Film opening analysis ('The life of others'. Donnersmarck)

Title: The life of others

Director: Donnersmarck (German)

           

Sound	Lighting
·        Marching (military ) ·        Voices of actors ·        Aggressive voices ·        Airplane ·        Tape running ·        Crying/weeping (signifies misery) ·        The tape suggests the ideas of hidden listeners, or ambiguity.	·        Dark ·        Getting lighter ·        Dull mood ·        Washed out and the actors look pale (suggests illness) ·        The interrogation was filmed in darkness with a red light on the table ( This signifies danger, danger, danger)
Cameras	Mise en scene
Opens a long tracking shot behind prisoner and guard, walking down the corridor. Caption in white on black(WOB) Long hall gives a daunting feeling as if the main character will be in prison for a long time. (we are watching him disappear from his life) Slow pan Impassive expression on faces	The prison guard is wearing a green military uniform which links to the green tint and sound track. (this shows authority and discipline) The main character was wearing own cloths which shows us that he was picked up straight from the streets and thrown into prison. Old Fashion tape recorder Red desktop signifies danger.

Film opening analysis (Double Indemnity 1944)

 Double indemnity is a classic film noir thriller made in 1944 by Billy Wildner and staring Fred MacMurray as a keen insurance sales man (Walter Neff) who foolishly falls for the seductive charms of one of his client's wife Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) after he stopped by the clients home for a routine renewal inquiry. Phyllis first approached Neff she with an inquiry about purchasing life insurance for her husband without his knowledge, this aroused Neff's suspicion but her bewitchery was too strong for Neff to resist and he ends up helping her craft and execute what they thought was the perfect murder in order to claim the life insurance money for themselves. But the plot began to disintegrate when Neff's best friend Keyes began to suspect Phyllis. Also Phyllis's step daughter begins to over analyse the situation and she eventually becomes convinced that Phyllis murdered her father with the help of another man. Initially Neff their plan went off well but then Neff soon came to his senses and realized that he had been played and decided to do something about the situation.





Even before we start seeing actually pictures we are greeted with the sound, a loud and bold sound track which makes us feel like something serious and intense has just occurred. The sound captures the attention of the audience and draws up in. One may argue that the loud steady stream of sound resembles the loud trumpet noise that goes off just before an important announcement. Others may argue that the sound is somewhat heroic like something from a bond or Marvell film which could signify bravery. The sound goes on throughout the entire title sequence which build up the excitement and suspense. The sound track speeds up to keep up with the fast pace of the  cars in the opening scene and serves as a good compliment to the on screen activities.  There is ambient noise in the diegetic soundtrack when the car drives through traffic. After the main character gets out the car he knocks on the door firmly and quickly which shows he was in a hurry. The main character is then greeted by a man who's voice sounds warm and welcoming and keen to start a conversation but the main character whom we are tracking answers back with short answers. After the main character gets to the office he pics up the phone and makes a call to the police, He sounds regretful and exhausted but he wasn't holding back which gives the impression he had been thinking about what to say for a long time before finally gaining the courage to pick up the phone. At this point the back ground music completely fades out and we can only hear the voice of the main character. This helps draw more attention to what he was saying and the message he had to give.

In the title sequence the camera s stationary and there is a take of dark shadow on crutches steadily walking forward towards the stationary camera. At first the the take on the hidden figure walking towards the camera is a long shot but then the camera shot gradually becomes a close up and an extreme up. The camera swiftly fades in to a shot of a car swerving a traffic light and narrowly missing another car. This gives as a sense of Danger. The car eventually pulls up and a mysterious man calmly walks out the car with his face hidden in the darkness of the night. The camera then moves to a tracking shot, which allows us the audience to follow the character he makes his way to the door and then up the lift. We then see an over view of the inside of the building before the camera returns to tracking the movement of the main character as he makes his way to his office. The camera angle then changes to an over head view of the character smoking in his office then moves to a close up of his face when he picks up the phone to call the police. At the end of the scene the camera fades out.

Like all classic film noir films the lighting is very low key ( which is also known as Chiaroscuro in the art world). This style helps emphasise shadow and harsh lighting creating a sense of depth and volume. This also helps to overcome a bland flatness of black and white photography. The first scene was shot at night time and the low key lights helps draw attention to relevant things on the screen whilst hiding the face of the main character this makes him appear more mysterious. The shadows watching over the character becomes more dominate when he got to his office and sat at his desk. This was done by using a strong key light and a side fill light. One may assume that the soft lighting technique was used due to the wide spread and lack of precise definition in the shadows casted by the the character in the scene and the objects around him.

The opening features some of the classic mise en scene features of thriller/ film noir film. The opening titles are presented in a white on black style. At the point where the two main cars almost crashed we can see a traffic light with the sign ''stop'' on it. The hat the character is wearing conveniently covers his face which masks his emotions. The blinds in his office are all closed which shows how isolated he is from the rest of the world sitting in his office all alone.

Thriller research (Sleeping with the Enemy 1991 plot summary)

Sleeping with the enemy is a 1991 psycological thriler  filmed directed by joseph Ruben and starring Julia Roberts who plays the role of  Laura Burney a sorrowful and lonely house wife who has to endure the agony of living with a diabolically cruel husband. Laura grew melancholy every day.  Patrick Bergin  play Martin Burney Husband of Laura Burney.

Martin Burney and Laura come across as a wealthy happy couple but there is more than meets the eye. Behind close doors Martin is an abusive and brutally obsessed husband who sees his wife as a possession and his inner most passion manifests itself in a need for complete control and military order. Laura comes across as a submissive character who is petrified of Martin's violent tendencies, which are buried deep underneath a public veneer of absolute perfection and order. Martin is the whip in their relationship and he sees it as his duty as a man to maintain discipline and order within their household, which results to him physically abusing his wife on many occasions when she went out of line. The abuse is an ongoing routine, which began immediately after their wedding.

Laura has a strong desire to leave Martin but she's afraid of what might happen. She suppresses her emotions and tries to cope with abuse. Laura eventually finds an opportunity to break free from her fiendish husband when she fakes her own death at sea in a storm when she was forced to go boating. Martin clearly knew his beloved wife Laura could not swim so he was absolutely convinced she had died when she fell over board.  However Laura had been taking swimming lessons which gave her the ability and confidence to swim safely to shore. Laura then flees to Cedar falls, Iowa where she adopts the name Sarah waters and develops a relationship with a character who posses  contrasting idealogical traits from Martin.

It seems all was going well till something triggers Martin's suspicion over the death of his wife. He then embarks on a journey to investigate the situation and find Laura whom at that point was beginning to let go of the past and learning to live a new life. Martin also discovers that Laura's mother who was meant to be dead was still alive but Laura had moved her to a different nursing home. This discovery served as a major clue when it came to finding Laura. Martins analytical skills were more heightened than ever and he manages to find Laura at a fair and follows her back home. Martin then leaves idiosyncratic clues around the house which Laura then immediately picks up on. Martin finally reveals him self to Laura. At that point her new lover Ben appears at the door and Martin commands Laura to send him away. Laura then manages to send Ben away but then he comes back and breaks down the door and struggles with Martin but Martin ends up knocking him out, at this point Laura got hold of the gun and threatens to kill Martin. Laura holds Martin at gun point but he is in complete denial that Laura had the guts to shoot him. After exchanging words Laura picks up the phone and calls the police and shoots Martin three times and he collapses to the ground. To her disbelieve Martin not yet dead picks up the gun and tries to shoot her but the gun was empty.