Sin City opened to wide critical and commercial success, gathering particular recognition for the film's unique coloring process, which rendered most of the film in black and white but retained coloring for select objects. The film was screened at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival in-competition and won the Technical Grand Prize for the film's "visual shaping."(wikipedia)
I looked at Sin City again , afer the black and white effect used in the Opening in Casino Royale inspired me to think of applying a similar effect in post production to our film. I think that Sin City is given such a dark and sinister tone through the black and white effect , with such bold high contrast and black and whites, it helps add meaning behind the narrative and connotes it to the auience extremely well. If using an effect like this in our thriller then i think for the film noir plot it will suit better if using higher contrast than casino royale. Especialy for an opening sequence this will impact more on the audience, so Sin City could be a big inspiration here.
This is one of my favourite films. Now that we aare going with the tortue scene , and a chair , i have lookwed at this particular scene again.
I like how the villain toys with the victim, and he does not know what will happen next, then out comes the knife. I then like the toying with the victim, the fact that he knows what is about to happen, but the surel music and man dancing are not ready to hurt him yet.
I think in our torture scene if we were to toy with the tied up victim , either by shooting a blank at him, or laying out all the torture instruments in front of him, it would make our femme fatal seem even mmore sinister, and give the film an ever darker underlying tone.
This is from the first scene to the new James Bond thriller Casino Royale. I have taken quite alot of inspiration from how this scene is lit, to the black and white effects that have been applied. This scene begins with a long establishing shot. I like how this sets out the location for the soon to happen events. I will hopefully use some longer shots at the beggining of my thriller opening to set out the location. The most effective part to this scene i think is how it is shot in black and white. This emphasises the dramtics of Bond killing in the bathroom. And makes it a clearly bold action, which impacts more on the audience. With my thriller it would be very interesting to experiment with a similar effect, as it would be simplistic and effective. The blacks that this creates are also a lot stronger , and add to the thriller signifiers Eg when bond is sat in the chair the dark shadow across half of his face are emphasised, linking to his dark side that has killed, for which we get flashes to. If i use black and white, then also making the contrast higher would improve the thriller appeal of my opening, and would help it look more proffessional rather than student film. I also think that the framing of close ups to the face, is inspiring, and will help me to follow the rule of 3 quarters.
Our group has been looking at doing a female revenge thriller. our discussions so far have led us into thinking of doing a torture scene, in an underground basement, with our male victim being tied up to a char and knoced out. I have lloked at this Casino Royale scene, as it is in my view brilliantly shot, and the mise en scene is extrmely effective. This sceneuses a great variety of shot distances, andgles and movement. All which make it interesting to watch. The low angles we have of Bond when he is thrown into the chair, show that he is still a strong character, despite being in such a desperate situation. Hinting he is not going to give in any secrets, and may escape. I like the low angles and framing, and when focusing on our male victim tied up it wuld be worth using varying angles including low. THere is one shit i particularly like, of the villain walking past the camera, which focuses ona closae up of his hand, panning to the left as he walks forwards to wards the chair. THis pan shot shows off the location ell, and brings the audiences attention to the rope in his hand, leaving us tense over what will happen next? What is the rope going to be used for ? . With our threiller, if using Emmas location. We could adopt this pan shot, and apply it to a different angle perhaps. we could have it from behing our victim as he is tied up, panning accros the room as the female killer paces around the room with a weapon.
I also really like the shot when the villain walks up to Bond, places the end of the rope on his shoulder, then bends down and speaks in to his ear. I think it shows a possible weakness of the viallin, as he is now sinking down to Bonds level of control over the situation. Signifying at what might come. I would like to use this in our film if we proceed with a female revenge thriller, as it would effectively play on the role reversal of power and sexuality between men and women.
There is another intuitive shot used here as well. From ground level through the chair legs. I like the framing in this shot, and we could use it to show our female role entering the scene, leaving her identity as enigmatic as possible for longer.
This scene is lit harshly over bond. With lack of light in a lot of areas. This makes us focus on Bond and the centre of the room, highlighting this action. We should consider this when lighing our location.
The mise en scene is also good. The central position of the chair, and the decaying, very underground urban look add to the theme of isolation. something we want to achieve in our thriller. This scene overall has inspired me withh shot types i want to use in our opening, and is also a good guide for our lighting and mise en scene.
I really like the titles for tyhis film . the graphics of them is really well done, and links in with the story perfectly. It is good inspiration to be more ambitous with our film titles. Like Running scared i like the graphic , and cartoon look of them. With our opening, although we will not have time to make anything like this, i would like to implement some form of titles that are not just the conventional text, on a blank screen , or superimposed ove rthe video. I think we could have blood splatters moving across screen, or sometihng like that. As if we go with revenge, and end it how we are currently thinking, then blood will be a goood signifier of the genre. And if going with black and white it would give our film an interesting colour scheme of black white and red. All generic colours to thriller . Hopefully i will be able to get some of the shot types, colouring effects, and titles to work with our film and improve it.
In Dawn Of The Dead the world is hit by a strange plague that turns dead people into flesh-eating zombies. The zombies are out to kill everybody who is still alive. Once you are bitten, you die and return as a zombie. A group of survivors go to a shopping mall to find shelter. They begin to run out of food and then the lights go out. The survivors come up with a plan to escape to an island, but first they must get past thousands of zombies. They use the mall's shuttle busses to make their escape after the zombies break into the mall.
Opening Sequence
The first shot only flashes up on screen for less than a second. it is of a bloddy mouth. So immediately the audience is shocked and engaged with the danger. The first title of this opening sequence, is an animated graphic. It gives us the film name, which is in red, connoting to the audience blood and gore. The title then explodes like splattered blood. Setting up audience expectations for zombies, and blood spill.
The other titles are cut to be superimposed over the footage. So we focus on them. They are similar to the first title. Red in colour again connoting danger, violence and impeeding death, but instead of exploding the credits turn to blood which appears to drain away, perhaps hinting to the audience these characters die.
The camerawork in the opening is shot to create the same effect asd Danny Boyle in 28 days later. It is like a documentary, so making the audience feel mroe threatened and involved in the plot. It is really effective as you are instantly drawn in to the idea of the story, and plays on societies fears as a whole.
The ordinary on location settings, add to the way th efilm is shot as audiences can relate to the settings, as they are those of an every day town or city. Adding to the thrill the audience experierience as it is made more believable.
I think for my opening i will, use credits which are on screen by themselves cut between different parts of footage , as in Dawn Of The Dead, as it creates a good effect. An introduces you to the film well.
Me and Mike were analysing this clip as we were interested in a gangster thriller, and have looked at all the technical aspects so we have a better understanding of how to make our own thriller even if it is not gangster more effective.
Camerawork
In this scene camerawork is used a lot to emphasise the action taking place. For instance handheld is used in virtually the entire scene as it creates and air of realism and makes the film more gritty. As well as this the audience in several scenes are put in the place of the gangsters with this technique and so it appears like a POV shot. This is most notable when the camera is OTS of one gangster, but once he gets shot, the camera tracks over to another gangster just to the side of him, still with blood on the lens. This also makes the clip appear more like a documentary and so adding to the realism that the director is trying to put across. This is also conveyed with the quick zooms of the camera, as it moves into the action.
There is a number of OTS shots in this clip as not only does it give a sense of direction of where the gangsters are firing, makes the shootout more intense. This is especially true as we look down the crosshairs at Crockett with Isabella, as we as the audience sympathise with them, and do not want them to die.
Frames within frames are used at the beginning of the scene. This gives the feeling of being watched and adds to the tension just before the shootout.
Reverse tracking shots are used of Tubbs as he is advancing to one of the main Cuban villains. This camera angle gives the impression that he is moving at pace and it looks quite menacing, as we see him full on with shotgun. This emphasises the characters determination.
Low angles and hyper masculine framing is used often in the scene in order to make characters look more dangerous and imposing. For example the shot of the main Neo Nazi as he fires his automatic rifle looks powerful as the camera is at a low angle, therefore emphasising his height and making him look more dominant.
The shot of the main Cuban villain reloading we see Jamie Foxx running in the background. This is a continuation of the previous scene and is a good example of continuity of action.
Mise en scene
It is easy to tell who the gangsters are in this scene due to how they dress. A lot of them are wearing dark suites and pinstripe which are both clear connotations. As well as this the excess of gold jewellery which they wear show their excessive and rich lifestyle. This greatly contrasts with the modest silver watches and badges of the police. The large flashy cars that the gangsters drive also signify their power.
Crockett, Tubbs as well as the other policemen wear bullet-proof vests and communicate with walky-talkies connoting that they are more advanced than the gangsters and work for some kind of law enforcement agency. The comparison between the gangsters and the cops can also be seen in their hairstyles. While all the gangsters have uncontrolled beards and straggly hair, the cops have a well groomed appearance.
The location of the dockyard is put across with the two ships and the numerous bits of ropes and the huge truck tyres. Overall this location has a very industrial feel as a result. The fact the scene is set at night adds a lot of confusion, as we cannot see everything which is going on. As well as this it signifies the fact that the difference between the cops and the gangsters is not that huge.
Artificial light is used in the scene, mainly from the cars headlights, but I expect another source was used in the filming as well. This adds to the industrial and man made feel of the location. The lights also add a lot of shadows to the scene. This is perhaps most notable when half of Gong Li’s face is cast into darkness. This signifies the split of her personality, between the side which loves Crockett and wants a new life, and the old criminal and repressed side. The shadows also make certain characters look more menacing. For example the shadows of the SWAT team members along the side of a crate. The Night time setting is typical of the genre as a whole.
All the characters in this scene seem to be wielding large rifles or submachine guns rather than pistols. This is typical of the action genre as normally bigger weapons signify the character has more power and thus can inflict more damage.
Sound
In this clip, there are both Diegetic and Non Diegetic sounds.
The non diegetic sounds are used to build up tension before the fighting breaks lose. This is done with first drums and strings slowly picking up in volume level and speed. This creates suspense and signifies to the audience that there may be impeding violence. The sound then fades out, as the fire order is given. This is done to show the importance of the action, and not distract from it.
When the shoot out has started, percussion fades in at a low level, this is at a faster pace to the previous music and increases the tension and makes an aggressive atmosphere for the scene as well as helping maintain the pace.
After the soot out has finished and we have had the slow motion of when the villain boss is killed, strings fade in over, the percussion, which are slower in tempo and match the slowed pace of the film. This music is more dramatic and creates a reflective mood, which also allows the audience to take in what they have just seen. The music then changes to a Cuban influenced peace of bass, and drums. This music is faster tempo and allows the slow motion to come back to real-time. The music also signifies the end of the danger, and that the Cuban mob has been defeated. This then allows for the next plot development in the film.
Diegetic sounds in this clip are gunshots, gravel, ricochets , glass breaking, and all add to the realism of the clip.
SFX
This scene uses a number of special effects to try to get across the idea that this is a shootout. For instance we can presume that all these guns are firing blanks. But we believe CGI was used to enhance the flashes emitted from the barrels to enhance the action. Or possibly was composite in over the footage in a program such as after effects.
Squibs and small explosive devices are also used a lot in this scene for when we see walls and cars being shot at. In the case of the walls we presume that at least some of the wall was made out of some form of plaster cast to give the right effect when the explosives went off.
The same could be said of the car windows which were most probably made out of some kind of fibre glass for health and safety reasons. Squibs filled with fake blood were used for the percentage of times when people got shot, although sometimes this can be too dangerous for the actor if they are placed near the head. This is why when the main White supremacist gets shot in the head we believe it is done with either CGI, prosthetics or perhaps both to give the right effect.
When the main Cuban villain gets shot by Tubbs, a program similar to after-effects must have been used in order to show the blood splatter from his body. As well as this the hole in his chest we deduce is a prosthetic chest plate under his shirt.
Editing
The editing used in the 5 minute clip from Miami Vice is fairly generic to the action genre, and especially a fight or shoot out scene.
Throughout the clip, there are no transitions , dissolves, or fades, the cuts are all straight cuts. This builds up the pace of the scene as cuts become faster, and helps maintain it. If dissolves or fades were used the audience would have become confused as normally these are techniques used to show time passing, hence why straight cuts are used, and are effective in creating a pace to the scene which matches the frantic emotions and action on the characters.
The selection of shots that the scene starts with are of the police. This is to reinforce that we in fact want the police to succeed and are supposed to be on their side. It also signifies they have the upper hand in the situation, as we see them initiate the firing.
But when the real action in the scene has started, we see a higher percentage of shots from the Drug dealing Neo Nazis point of view. The purpose behind this is to increase the audiences understanding of the villains in the film, and why it is essential for the police to succeed. It also has the effect of highlighting the team work and unison of the police, as they cleverly take down villains one by one.
Throughout the scene there are a lot of close ups from the villain side of the shootout a lot being over the shoulder shots, which are then cut to medium shots of the police reaction to this. Thos shot order maintains the pace created for the scene, and also increases our understanding of the danger being faced.
In our medium reaction shot of the police, we see them fire back at the villains, and the scene then cuts to the Villains reaction. This technique is a classic example of shot reaction shot. And is the editor is creating narrative structure out of a busy chaotic scene, so that the audience can at least understand who is shooting at who.
But however the scene is cut so that the audience has a basic concept of what is going on its editing style also means that there is a vast variety of distances and angles. This adds to the chaos of the scene, the franticness, and confusion of the situation for the audience, which mimics that of the police who are in the situation.
There is also interesting use of slow motion, where the film is slowed down to roughly ¾ speed, as the main villain is killed. This gives dramatic effect, and highlights to the audience the importance of the character just killed, and the start of the resolution to the scene.
There is a certain pace that is set up within the scene and when slow mo is used it is to say look important reaction shot. Eg when the Cuban before he is shot in the chest, there is a slowed down extreme close up of him , which if real-time would be too short to notice, and would also disrupt the pace of the scene. Editing is used throughout the action like this so the audience absorb key events or reactions to heighten the understanding.
Some of the slow mo is replacing what in conventional films, would be a close up, that lasts half a second. The medium shots that are used frequently take longer for the audience to understand and take in , therefore the slowed speed gives us more time to understand what is going on.
The deliberate cutting between different parts of the action, ensures the paces as well as excitement is maintained. If the scene stuck with one characters action for too long it would not be very interesting and would also mean the scene lacked pace.
The opening sequence for the film 'Se7en' is highly effective. THisopening sequence is itself very enigmatic. The shots used are all close ups of different objects, as a person does something. We are not shown details of this persons face, and it is difficult to piece togethor exactly what is going on. The use of consistent close up shots build up a feeling of obsession. This enables the film to develop and give the audience a sense of what is going to be happening at the start of the film. The font used, is very non conformist, it is scribbly, and not faded in and out slowly, but rather the text flashes, mirrors and mvoes around. This technique also strengthens the connotations of the genre. Because of the large number of close ups, the audience are left gripped , wondering what this person is doing. Thus i think this is an extremely effective opening sequence. The music also matches the title effects, and diorientates the audience more.
I was going to analysae how the credits are incorporated to the beggining of this film, but have remembered that their are not any credits for creaters , director etc fo the film.
The film is all shot to create a sense of realism, the film has no credtis at the beginning to make it appear more documentary in style, the effect Danny Boyle wanted to achieve for the film. It is straight in to the action, with footage shot as if it is a news story.
As there are no credits to analyse i am going to look at the opening to Dawn of The Dead.
There are not a large amount of blockbuster UK Thriller films made nowadays compared to the number of US made films. But the ones which have done well such as the recently released Sunshine , and previously 28 weeks later, the sequel to 28 days later, as well as early films from the 90s like Shallow grave were all directed by one Uk director. The director being Danny Boyle.
I was looking at the oipening sequence to 28 days later, and analysisng particularly how the credits are incorporated, also doing some research about the film , when i found out that it was made on a very low budget (only 5 million). I personally think the film is good, and takes the zombie sub genre, and utilises it well. Especiallly as the film became such a hit, i think it is a considerable directoing achievement.
Below is some information on the films success (wikipedia)
The film was a considerable success at the box office and became highly profitable on a budget of about £5 million ($9.8 million). In the UK, it took £6.1 million ($12 million), while in the US it became a surprise hit, taking over $45 million despite a limited release at fewer than 1,500 screens across the country. The film garnered around $82.7 million worldwide. Critical views of the film were very positive (with a rating of 89% at RottenTomatoes[3]) the L.A. Times describing it as a "stylistic tour de force", and efilmcritic.com describing it as "raw, blistering and joyously uncompromising".
On the DVD commentary, Boyle and Garland frequently call it a post apocalyptic, horror and zombie film, commenting on scenes that were specific references to George A. Romero's original Dead trilogy. However, during the initial marketing of the film Boyle did try to distance the film from such labels. Boyle identified John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids as Garland's original inspiration for the story[2].
I was interested into researching more about Danny Boyles other work and how he got into directing film.
The below is his Road To Succes (wikipedia)
Boyle made his feature film directorial debut with Shallow Grave, an instant commercial and critical success. Next followed the film Trainspotting, based on the novel by Irvine Welsh. Besides being quite successful, the film is considered among the most influential and iconic British films of the 1990s.
Previously known to work with writer John Hodge, producer Andrew Macdonald and actor Ewan McGregor, in the internationally acclaimed Trainspotting, Boyle relocated to Hollywood to seek a production deal with a major US studio. He declined an offer to direct the fourth film of the Alien franchise, instead making A Life Less Ordinary using British finance. Boyle's next project was an adaptation of the cult novel The Beach. He then collaborated with author Alex Garland on the post-apocalyptic zombie film 28 Days Later. In 2004, Boyle directed the Frank Cottrell Boyce scripted Millions. His science-fiction film Sunshine, starring 28 Days Later star Cillian Murphy, was released in 2007. Boyle produced the sequel to 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, released on May 11, 2007.
Focusing on 28 days later i found that the general consesus on his directing style is "eclectic, adventurous and daring. This fearlessness has also lead to some uneven films as well. You can say this is a filmmaker whose best work is still ahead of him; yet his artistic output shows an inventiveness and versatility that matches even Sam Raimi."
I think when making my thriller i should look again more closely at his opening to 28 days later, as well as sunshine as he is clearly a renowned British director, and it would be good if i was to possibly use his opening sequences as an influence into making my thriller sequence more British in style, rather than basing it on American concepts.
I also looked on IMDB to see if there were any trade marks or conventions that he applied to his films, that may inspire me towards a more British styled film , and i found the below.
After rewatching Inside Man, and being inspired by it, i have done some more research into the accalimed director behind it Spike Lee.
(From who2.com )
Spike Lee made a name for himself in 1986 with the hit independent film She's Gotta Have It, a frank comedy about the many lovers of an independent Brooklyn woman. The film established Lee as a rising black filmmaker (a rarity at the time) and his skills and independence, along with his outspoken African-American perspective and feisty public persona, kept him in the public eye into the next century. In later films he continued to tell stories with racial themes and New York settings, including the Brooklyn drama Do the Right Thing (1989), the jazz-tinged Mo' Better Blues (1990, with Denzel Washington and Wesley Snipes), the interracial romance Jungle Fever (1993, with Snipes and Anabella Sciorra), the biopic Malcolm X (1992, starring Washington and based in part on the book by Malcolm X and Alex Haley), Summer of Sam (1999, with John Leguizamo), and the controversial racial satire Bamboozled (2000, with Mos Def). Lee and Denzel Washington reunited for the mainstream heist thriller Inside Man in 2006. Lee has often appeared in his own films. (who2.com)
His films frequently involve African Americans and African-American themes. Films called "A Spike Lee Joint"
Frequently has characters directly address the camera. Frequently places actors on dollies to achieve a gliding or rotating effect against the background of the shot.
His films often have the phrase "Wake Up!" as in an urging to the awakening of maturity and social conscience.
Baseball: Every one of his narrative feature films makes reference to baseball teams and players.
The opening sequence to Inside Man is very different to the usual thriller. In the sense that the audience is addressed directly by a character, breaking the concept of almost all other thrillers that we the audience, are only on lookers of the action, and are distanced from it.
Inside Man opens with a closeup of Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) sitting in confinement, though the location of the cell he is in is not revealed. He muses, to the audience, the difference between a cell and a prison. In a self-important tone, he offers to explain to the viewer his "perfect" plan for a bank robbery.[1]
The film flashes back to the robbers gathering in a van to prepare for the heist. (This begins the timeframe that will carry most of the film; though there are several flash-backs and flash-forwards within). Led by Russell, the robbers enter a bank disguised as painters. They first use infrared flashlights to knock out security cameras. They then brandish firearms and begin taking over the bank.
Meanwhile, the police show up and surround the bank. Detectives Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) and Bill Mitchell (Chiwetel Ejiofor).
I am looking mostly at the opening sequence to the film, as it is what i have to make. The opening sequence really stands out to me because of the direct address to the audience, which immediateely made me feel more involved with the film, as well as interested as to whether we were given a small amount of priviliged information characters in the film would not know. The fact that at the end we see where Russell is hiding has inspired the film title and brought the narrative full circle gives a sense of accomplishment to the audience, i was also impressed at how the complexities in the plot were all tied together by the end to give a clever finish.
Again like Running Scared where the narrative begins not at the start, but at the end of the plot, i thought was a clever technique , the fact there was direct address also made a large impact and made me engage and focus on the film in greater detail. An idea i could possibly incorporate with my thriller, although dialogue can be difficult in terms of sound quality and acting skills.
I thought the mise en scene when Clive Owen is addressing the audience was extremely well done. The dark shdowy light created enigma as to where exactly this character was?. Its setting was also effective in creating a sense of entrapment which was done with the closer moving brick wall. The camerwork also created this with a medium close up.
The transition from this direct address , to a different time in the narrative, was done with a dissolve clearly showing to the audience that time had either passed or we were backwards in the narrative.
The music that accompanies the opening to Inside Man is also extremely unusual, being Hindu (Chaiyya Chaiyya ). It is infact a bollywood hit song from a extremely successful bollywood film. This reflecs Spike Lees of representing different cultures in his films, and he has creatively combined Bollywood with Hollywood to create a great effect. Spike says himself "I've been blessed with the opportunity to express the views of black people who otherwise don't have access to power and the media. I have to take advantage of that while I'm still bankable." I think it adds a considerable amount of individuality to the film, and its opening sequence is more memorable, as the usual hip hop track could have been used here, but wasnt, making it different. Maybe in my film i could use a boldy different music choice like this.
The step backwards in the narrative, then continues the film from the start of the Heist where we follow the team of painters , soon to be bank robbers on their journey through the city towards the bank. The music makes the opening more pacey, and after the direct address means the audience is expecting action.
The sequence also cuts away to different parts of the citys monuments. Such as the bull, to help show where the film is set, and give the audience a greater concept of the surroundings after the enigmatic, and confined shots from Clive Owen when he in trapped.
This films opening sequence has inspired another idea. Similar to my first and similar to Inside Man, it would begin at the closing stages of the film. In this case with our gangster or mentally unstable physco killer (still not sure which character it would be yet) arrested and placed in a grimy police cell. Here they would look dirty, and sleep deprived , staring into empty space. The camera would then ease in on them focusing on their face, and blurring the foreground. The character would close their eyes slowly as if drifting to sleep, then suddenly we would have white flashes, and a montage of shots from hat would be the last 3 weeks would flash up. Him kiiling people, gunfights or shots, a girl, police, all shots would probarbly contain common signifiers of the thriller genre. Then suddenly the last shot would be of red blood cells in the blood stream ( Like the medical shots showin in House )the camera would then zoom out of the body, through a bloody cut , and shirt to a low angle of our physco with a chainsaw, or axe, or the gangster in a sharp looking suite with a gun. In both shots though we would be focusing on their eyes, which would suddenly open. And in the case of the gangster scenario , we would be in some sort of grimy hide out most likely urban where he is reloading his gun, about to shoot another gangster. He shoots him, and there are blood splatters and stains on the floor etc, as the other man dies and falls to the floor. He then heads for a door, we have a close up of his hand opening it. Then a long shot from outside in the street as he opens it ( chance to use continuity editing ) and walks outside , then walks along the street. I think here we could then slow the shot down for a dramtic effect and have agressive, yet reflective music over the top. With credits either superimpose over the footage, or coming up in the corner. The idea behind the gangster scenariois he wants out of the mob, and they see it as betraal so put a hit out on him. In order for him to escape he has many people to kill. And eventually is arrested for one of them.
The idea for the physco character would be similar in most ways. Except he may be with an axe, holding a young blonde girl or women hostage. Police outside ordering him to let her go. Eventully he brabs her by te nck and opens the door to a simialr location as the gangster would be and we have the same shot of him and his victim walking along the road. With credits.
I think both of these ideas are ambitious and i probarbly havent descbribed them very well,but ould be possible to do well if planned enough with te right locations and actors. Plus i think the chance to use special effects would really impact on the audience.
After recently watching the departed again, and deciding i would like to make a gangster thriller, i thought i should research a little about the genius behind the directing that won it 4 oscars.
(From the Columbia Encyclopedia)
Martin Scorsese , 1942-, American film director; b. Queens, N.Y. A major figure in contemporary cinema, he grew up in Manhattan's Little Italy, attended film school at New York Univ., made his first feature-length film in 1968, and scored his first success with Mean Streets (1973). Often dealing with violent and obsessive aspects of modern America and focusing on Italian-American characters, Scorsese's films frequently feature a struggling hero and themes of sin and redemption. His major movies include Taxi Driver (1976), a harrowing urban morality tale; Raging Bull (1979), a look into the savage world of boxing; Goodfellas (1990), an exploration of the brutalities of Mob life; and Gangs of New York (2002), a violent epic of life in Manhattan's 19th-century slums. Among Scorsese's other films are Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), New York, New York (1977), The King of Comedy (1983), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), The Age of Innocence (1993), Casino (1995), Kundun (1998), The Aviator (2004), and The Departed (2006, Academy Award). His documentaries, A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese through American Movies (1995) and Il Mio Viaggio in Italia [my journey in Italy] (2001), reflections on great filmmaking in the United States and Italy, provide revealing glimpses into the influences that have shaped his art.
His lead characters are often sociopathic and/or want to be accepted in society.Extensive white lighting in scenes of his films.
Often uses diagetic music (i.e., source of music is visible on-screen).
His blonde leading ladies are usually seen through the eyes of the protagonist as angelic and ethereal; they always wear white in their first scene and are photographed in slow-motion (Cybill Shepherd in _Taxi Driver (1976)_ ; Cathy Moriarty's white bikini in Raging Bull (1980); Sharon Stone's white minidress in Casino (1995)). As the movie progresses, these ladies usually prove to be anything *but* angelic.
Often uses long tracking shots (a notoriously difficult shot to perfect) which is why he has been dubbed by some as the King of the Tracking Shot .
Often uses freeze frames (e.g., Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Departed)
Frequently uses music by The Rolling Stones ("Mean Streets", "Goodfellas", "Casino", "The Departed"), especially the song "Gimme Shelter"
Often begins his movies with the childhood of his main characters (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Goodfellas, Kundun, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed)
This is also a gangster thriller like wanted. But it creates a more sinister ambience, through the narrative, camera angles and accompanying music.
The camera angles, make it very clear who the protagonist is and that we are meeant to be on her side. The credits of this clip break up the sequence, which allows movement of the narrative to cards then a record player. The dull lighting creates the effect that a sinister event is about to occur, whether crime related or not. THe signifiers of the clip further connot the thriller genre , such as the dress code, suits, and dresses, as well as the gun. Many of the camera angles are POV shots, which helps the audience empathise with the protagonist more. The villain character is made clear by the lighting, as he is often cast in shadow, connoting mystery nd evil. Our female character also has shodws cast over her in some shots, connoting that she has a dark past, involved with crime but now wants out.
I think that this thriller is one of the more interesting form previous years. I think it is successful as well as it uses more actors than the other thriller openings. It also has alot of signifiers for the genre, it is made clear early on from the dress codes of the actors that, this is a gangster film, with sharp suits, and cutting cocaine. As well as the smoking of cigars, signifying authority, and money. Which is also shown by the game of poker. A game associated with gangster films.
The lighting therefore mise en scene in this opening i also think is effective as it shows up enough detail on chracters faces, without being too harsh, adding relaism that this is a late night game of poker.
I think the first shot of the opening, is very interesting and eases you into the film ,setting up the narrative, and the audiences expectations.
The film gets better when it progresses and we see the drugs being cut, the use of fades to this part also helps us understand time has passed.
There are some points i think are sightly negative though. Firstly the actors playing the gangsters do look too young, which sort of ruins the effect that the scene does create. I also think that the music could of been better, and would maybe change that. I also think that the opening moves too slowly, and would impact more on the audience if it was shot or edited a little quicker. Although it does set the scene as it is.
Lastly the room / location is ok, but does look alittle ordinary, neither too grimy or extravogant to be a convincing gangsters hide out.
The below is his Road To Succes (wikipedia)
