Mis en scene Body language and facial expression

Body language and facial expressions are important in a movie because they show a characters emotions and possible mental state to give an idea of what to expect from them and their character roles. It gives an indication of how the character may be feeling showing the type of atmosphere the scene gives off. It is an important convention in thrillers to make the audience share the emotions of the character making the film more of an experience to watch in terms of the type of thrill the audience get from certain situations. It can also indicate the type of relation the character has to the film in general or the rest of the characters or level of activeness or passiveness.

Body language:
Different positions of the body or posture can connote the characters level of self esteem, importance and significance in the plot it can also reflect the relationships with other characters too. Characters can be represented as scared, vengeful, secretive or brave in most thriller films like having a slouched posture leaning against a wall is passive body language represents the character as passive and mysterious in the audiences eyes meaning they may be spontaneous, dark minded and their personality may soon come out and show itself , the character may be disturbed during the movie making the audience expect possibly erratic actions from them. If the character is slanting their head to side it may indicate a more seductive, romantic and playful character making the audience expect more action to do with this romance, this could also create a type of genre in the audiences eyes, showing that we can expect the thrill or dilemma in the film to be to do with this, so the audience will expect this to unfold more in the film. If the character has a strong posture it can indicate authority to that character possibly indicating that the audience has met the protagonist as this person appears to be individual and independent, therefore the audience will start to expect the main character to be versatile and "save the day". There fore body language makes the audience stereotype the character to meet their preferences.

The stereotypical victim may be passive looking with hands in pockets, keeping head down, bad posture etc. creating a height difference, to make them appear powerless and vulnerable making the audience sympathetic and typically expecting the protagonist to rescue them form their bad situation. Their facial expressions may droop down without a smile and sad eyes to make them look specially innocent and hysterical to the audience and the rest of the characters like they have been brought down by a villain "baddie". For example Taken:

The stereotypical protagonist may purposely make themselves look in a certain way to appear strong with a strong posture and soldier like stance to make them look the stereotypical hero, they always look ready for action, they usually look quite tense and have deep stern facial features they tend to evoke respect from the audience. For example the hunger games:


The stereotypical antagonist or villain may use body language and facial expressions to have a sort of dark presence to them which is daunting so they may have a good strong posture initially to make them appear powerful and intimidating or a slanting manner to make them look scary, shadow like and sneaky. Their facial expressions can be lifeless, or taunting with a smile to make them look evil and sadistic making the audience angry with them for causing suffering. For example the purge:


Thriller opening analysis:A nightmare on elm street

Here her body language is of an average posture with head slightly tilted down to make her look like a stereotypical, curious, foolish victim who wondered into the wrong place at the wrong time. Her worried facial expressions though far away indicate a cautiousness. She has no weapons or anything to defend herself with, so she appears helpless.
 
In this shot you see a stereotypical villain behind her with the typically overbearing look where is head is tilted towards her with an evil gaze his posture is slanted showing a sneak attack. whereas the contrast in body language here is her arched posture making her vulnerable, and screaming facial expressions so she is the typical victim captured by the villain.

In conclusion I will use these body languages such as postures and facial expressions to portray emotion onto a character showing status as victim or villain.

Mis en scene setting and iconography

The iconography is an important aspect of a genre such as images, objects, which indicate a sub genre or a setting. The setting of a movie is the location it takes place at, it also gives the atmosphere of a film in sense of what may happen. These are important micro elements as they are used to distinguish different genres and types of films for example a film set in Victorian era may have iconography such as horses and carriages, traditional clothes and buildings to show it may be a dramatization to do with a story made up in that time frame.

Setting:
A setting that's conventional for a thriller movie is usually a large city for example new York because they have large land shapes suitable for action and drama such as tall buildings for cutting edge scenes, they have many roads and back streets for action and makes the audience worry for the character as they are lost in a large city, for example minority report:


Another conventional thriller setting may be a large house possibly suburban usually old to create fear and mystery and worry for the protagonist who will most likely have to solve the mystery in the film with the endless possibilities of what's inside making the audience on edge of things they don't see. For example insidious:



A house could be in the middle of nowhere indicating no escape for the character creating more of a thrill as that could indicate a chase with the killer or a vicious being, and the protagonist then in a confrontation which may be violent and highly thrilling. An example of this setting is 10 Clover field lane:



Settings and sub-genre:
Settings may vary upon different sub genres as some sub genres need more place for action to take place like an action thriller as the plot revolves around things that happen in large spaces, this also adds to the characters description as headstrong bad ass and serious adding to the suspension in the movie. For example hostage:

Supernatural sub genres need setting to create an elusive effect such as a cornfield or just the middle of nowhere this is suitable for supernatural or mystery thrillers as people or creatures could hide in it or the character could become lost in a life threatening situations this could make the characters seem curious, confused and brave to create more meaning to the genre. For example signs:

 A psychological thriller may require a place that is suitable for hiding secrets in confined spaces such as an old house, garage, abandoned train station as these setting tend to be eerie and suitable for jump scares, or even a normal suburban setting to make the character seem innocent when the reality is different making the whole film jumpier. For example American psycho:



Iconography:
An example of typical thriller iconography are props which are weapons such as knives, guns, axes, hammers, chainsaws or handcuffs to create a violent persona and enigma for a character which is typically an antagonist like a serial killer in a horror or psychological, or an outlaw or gangster in an action or crime thriller as these props have connotations and are usually associated with death, blood and brutality. These props usually indicate threat.
Clothing like masks, hoodies, coats, hats, denim,scarfs/bandannas is typical for the male character who is usually the hero or the villain, these items of clothing are usually associated with serial killers,"creepy" character, hit men and gangsters.
Vehicles are typically found in a thriller which is usually a jeep car, motorbike, sports car,  in an action and crime as these are typically associated with fast paced action such as a car chase, abduction which creates an enigma and suspense for the audience before the action has begun.
Conventional thriller locations may be a dark alley or parking lot as these can be typically associated with murder, chases, abduction, or even the place where the stereo typically "creepy" character hangs out which is usually the villain, the time of day in a thriller is usually night in thrillers as this is where most of the action or murders take place
Typical lighting in a thriller is usually low key, only light used creates shadows to create enigma for the film symbolizing danger and threat within the sequence, and usually symbolizes crime about to take place out of the view of everyone else representing light and dark.The lighting is usually only high key when the threat and action is over and out and the situation is resolved
The characters is a thriller usually have to have emotional depth to explain the action going on there, so we know what to expect from the characters, this emotional depth is used to create reasons for the action such as revenge stories or killing sprees.
The plot is usually to do with money or business deals turned toxic this is usually present in action/crime thrillers predominantly. The plot is usually about a character who wants to gain something or get something back that the character was deprived of before the events of the film.
Camera angles are usually eye level to create a natural realistic effect so we can view the action as more authentic

Iconography and sub-genre:
The sub genre crime thriller is usually emphasized on vehicles, guns, money deals and contracts, abduction, murder, a protagonist who wants something back from criminals or to bring the antagonist to justice. The location is usually a large city or small town where the crime takes place. The clothing may consist of identity restricting clothing such as scarfs, hats, overcoats etc.
The psychological thriller genre is usually based on plots which involve murder or experiences of delving into the characters mind so you may see an institution. Props which are usually weapons such as knives, chainsaws, hammers etc. these are associated with pain and torture which is what the character may do. The location can usually be the middle of nowhere to a suburban town.Clothing may be innocent to make the protagonist unsuspecting.
In the sub genre horror thriller you may expect to see a location which is an old house or small town being terrorized by a ruthless killer or paranormal entity.The time of day is almost always night as this sets the threatening mood of being afraid of the dark. In this genre you may expect to see normal suburban clothing as a symbolization of victims.

Thriller opening analysis:Fat and furious 6

In this shot we can see the main prop which is a sports car vehicle indicating that it is about some sort of action. The lighting is high key suggesting that it is about detailed action going on in the film.We can see smoke arising from the vehicle suggesting the thriller is explosive and boisterous in nature.



In this hot we can see we are introduced to the protagonist as the camera is on his side of the car. He is in a car which once again symbolizes action, they are in a far away location suggesting it is a lot to do with travel.the light technique is 3 point to make the characters stand out.


Here is a bird eye shot of the racetrack indicating action and it establishes the setting

Mis en scene lighting and colour

Lighting is a feature of cinematography and mis en scene to give the audience a clue of what situation or frame of mind the character is in or their significance. It is an important convention as this effectively conveys the characters significance by using it to define features of a character such as their personality.
Colour is the use of colour spectrums to convey the genre of a film or type of character e.g. antagonist, protagonist etc. this is used to determine where the character fits in in the movie and the role they play it can also describe their activeness and give extra details of the situation there in.
Angles of lighting:
Back lighting is light from the back to emphasize the figure of a character and can be used to create stunning effects. For example nightmare on elm street:

3 point lighting helps separate character from image to make them look 3D creating a shadow evenly spreading the light for example captain america:
                                                                                                                    Chiaroscuro is a high contrast between light and dark showing depth and volume to a character for example the hunchback of notre dame:


Types of lighting:
Low key lighting is conventional in thrillers because it suggests mystery which is a prominent theme in most thriller films to make the characters seem more intense than they actually are. It also adds a dingy effect to a scene where the character is representing danger or a dark characters state of mind, it creates a sharp contrast. It builds on the audiences tolerance as it's hard to see the characters identity in this lighting building up tension in the films atmosphere to lead up to action in the end of the thriller film.
High key lighting is high vibrant lighting used to activate a characters action presence to represent a hero in the midst of the dark so you can see their whole face and body this gets the audience on their side so they are also the hero in their eyes too.
The type of lighting conventionally used often in thrillers is low key as they are usually associated with danger and fear to create the genre in their eyes as a thriller that's likely to have things jump out at them a lot.
Colour in scenes examples:
Warm colours in scenes represent a place of salvation,safety and passion like romance e.g. red, orange, brown.
Cold or dark colours represent a frightening and chilling atmosphere in the film for example light blue, purple, grey, black typically low key.
Realistic and vibrant colours make a modern atmosphere typically in suburban films e.g. beige, orange, yellow, sky blue.

Thrillers typically use cold dark colours to make the atmosphere more chilling and intense in scenes of peril emphasize the danger in the scene this is to gain a reaction and reputation from the audience so they take what they see more seriously than they would without the low key cold colours. Thrillers also use realistic and vibrant colours in scenes of action to emphasize quality and make it more thrilling by showing the audience that this type of action and thrills can even happen in somewhere peaceful, this colour also urges you to pay more attention to the characters as they stand out more.

Thriller opening analysis: Black swan opening sequence


In this shot the colours used here are natural to create a more peaceful effect on the audience to show characters innocence and possibly fragility in the persons mind or psyche, the light is much like a spotlight as it is circular suggesting something about performance.

Here cold colours are used to present eeriness and mystery within the plots progression from innocent to eerie, as the only light source is the spotlight, it also shows characters revolution throughout the film as this is her mind does in the film.


In this shot the colours and lighting stay pretty monotone going from realistic to dark suggesting that the colours are revealing something about the plot that we haven't seen yet. The colours here are very dark making the audience uneasy and on the edge of their seats.

Conclusion:
From this research I have realized that light and colour complement each other so I am interested in using a range of different colour/light combinations to make effects in audience that I would prefer such as back lighting to make mystery of characters appearance.

Editing

Editing is the putting together of pieces of film into a sequence and the preparation of written, visual, audible and media used to convey information to their target audience. It is also the manipulation of the mis en scene of a sequence or deleting Un-needed parts e.g. cut offs that weren't included in the film or adding in cg effects and transitions.
Definitions of editing:
Continuity is when the audience don't realize when a cut has been made but the cut offs are made to look in line with each other to create a narrative story that appears to be smooth .
Montage is when relevant shots and information have been used to recap a story  in a short way.
Transitions is the way editors transfer one shot to another using a technique such as
fading out or straight cuts.

Trailers often use montage or match on action scenes of information from the film to tease the audience and leave them hanging off all the time. The most common transition in trailers made is usually quick straight shots to build the mood for the film by creating more fast paced intensity to build on to a climax at the end to get people watching.
Trailer opening analysis: The butterfly effect


This first shot fades out into the rest of the opening sequence without a straight cut to make it more harmonious with the smooth running sequence.


Continuity is used in this shot, however more match on action with the writing that appears before the shot change that creates continuity in the sequence.


In this shot match on action of the brain scan we see here into a butterfly which breaks up into a smoother sequence.

Sound

Sound: Is a auditory micro-element in the background of film which adds theme to a scene and is important because it gives you an insight on what is going on inside the characters head and underlines psychological refinements so you know more about the character more than on a physical level. It can help enhance emotional experience providing more emotional focus on the film and the unseen implications. Helps identify characters as they may have their own theme song altogether adding meaning and rhythm to the story or plot it does this by paralleling the action in the scene making the action more convincing. It underpins the theatrical build up rounding it off with a sense of finality and continuity bridging scenes together. It can set the period and location of a movie.
Definitions of sound:
Diegetic sound:
This is the sound both you and the characters can hear for example clinking of tea cups in the beginning of the woman in black.

Non-Diegetic sound:
This is the type of sound characters can't hear which is often central to the main theme these are often soundtracks found in the background. For example the jumpy music in psycho shower scene which let's the audience know there is a murder about to take place
.
Crescendo:
Build up of sound or music which implies something is going to happen this is to build up tension withing the scene to make the audience brace themselves. music that starts of subtle then builds up for example this shot scene in jaws.
 
Diminuendo:
Where the sound dies down as if a threat has gone away to get the audience at ease with the current situation. This may happen after a scene where the action has passed or the protagonist has defeated the antagonist.

Thriller opening analysis: Final destination 5
This scene uses effective sound to connote with the images shown in the opening it uses parallel sound to the action going on in the opening scene to make it a lot more convincing for example loud sound effects when you see the glass shatter makes it more of an experience to watch than it with just the theme soundtrack.

There is a crescendo build up in the opening showing the audience that in the film something big is going to happen from build ups large quantities of action to get the audience to build up the tension and brace themselves for any kind of action that happens in the film like explosions.
This opening scene makes use of non-diagetic sound to underline the unseen implications of the current situations being dangerous and thrilling complementing its genre.

Cinematography

Cinematography:                                                                                                                                     Cinematography is the art of photography or camera work in film making to create a greater a larger meaning, this is important because it adds features to the film which are usually of a specific genre. For example crime thrillers may usually have birds eye view to show characters’ vulnerability and the theme of pursuit to add extra effect to the movie scenes. Cinematography creates more mis en scene to portray what kind of situation the characters are in, this micro element puts emphasis onto what the scene is about such as camera angles to the face will show facial expressions indicating how the current dilemma in the film makes them feel and will partially indicate what they will do next. This micro-element puts emphasis on the films plot and adds meaning to all the action going on in the film with different camera angles put an idealistic approach on the action on which is the best angle to film it on for the audience to communicate the main theme best. A film without cinematography would have no effect on audience and would be hard to catch on to what is going on

3 features of cinematography:

Camera angles

Camera movement
Camera shot size
Camera sizes: 

Extreme long shot sometimes known as an establishing shot to show setting from afar so the audience know where film will take place.for example mission impossible extreme long shot: 

Long shot or a full shot is the realistic view of the scene where it is taking place to show the audience where the action is taking place can also be used to draw attention to the scene after the establishing shot for example the good the bad the ugly;
       
Medium shot is to present the person from the waist up this is to draw attention to the character specially for dialogue for example kill bill:


Camera angle:
Birds eye view is a shot directed overhead at a character can be used to establish a scene where the character for example enters a building. For example kill bill:

Eye level shot is a shot depicting the characters face from the eyes level to give a naturalistic effect to the scene. For example psycho:






                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Low angle shot is a shot from a low angle to make things e.g. characters to appear larger like giants and make them taller and possibly more threatening and scary. For example the dark knight:
                                                                                          







Dutch angle shot is where the camera is tipped and not at level with the floor to give a sense of unease within the scene. For example the third man:

Camera movements:
Pan is a horizontal camera movement across a scene to another character or object of significance
Birds eye view is when the camera is attached to a helicopter and is moving over the setting in an establishing shot
Floating camera movement is the smooth movement of the camera it uses a range of counterweights and gyroscopes to keep a handheld camera steady enough to be smooth.

Thriller movie opening analysis: Vertigo
Extreme close up shot to the persons eye shows detail and possibly the fear in the eye so we know quite well to expect fear psychologically establishing the films thriller genre and possibly jumpy nature and makes us question who's eye we are looking at and who's eyes we see the film through, this is so you can see she is tense.

The angle of these shots are mostly eye level to show that the film is straight in your face and you cant miss any effects put in or maybe a metaphor to "face your fears" psychologically and creates a very naturalistic effect of fear, this angle also gives an establishing view of the characters its close so you can see his face is red and sweaty.

The camera in this scene uses zooming into the face to create intensity showing the films explicit portrayal of fears throughout this is used almost as a "warning" to what will happen next in the films many scenes, also making us concentrate on the details more so we can see if the woman is fearful and tense.

I am particularly interested in possibly using low angle shots to create an illusion of threat to portray a villain of some sort or an object of significance for example a building. I am also interested in the dutch angle shot as it creates and edgy effect on the audience and boosts the intensity of the genre. Extreme close ups seem good to me as they portray detail and emotion on faces to create a psychological effect on audience.

Genre: Genre is an element that is very important to the producers and the media audiences as they must engage their audience as their target to be successful and interesting to ensure the grasp on the genre the audience have so they will keep watching to be entertained and get pleasure.                            

The thriller genre: This is a genre which revolves around suspense mainly to keep the media audience interested and anticipating what will happen next in the plot to create worry for characters. Films in this genre are meant to keep audience at the edge of their seats, by creating tension which is almost uncomfortable to bear so they keep watching. Almost in all thrillers the protagonist has a problem to resolve which is usually the plot of the film, for example a mystery they have to solve, or an escape from a problem as a resolution. The resolution or the end is usually highly exaggerated at the peak of the tension throughout the entire film, to an emphasized climax at the end which commonly has another film to carry on what happens next which keeps the entertainment to its best. This genre is made of several different sub-genres which all contain the thriller conventions along with distinct characteristics to describe the plot of the film there-fore making it a separate sub-genre, however they will always contain all the thriller conventions you would find in a thriller film.                                                                                                                                                

                                                                                                                                 The call is an example of a thriller film because it contains several elements in the thriller film genre such as the plot which is about a girl who is abducted by a man into the back of a van in which she then calls 911 and the main character who is the person who works at the call centre (the protagonist) makes an error in judgement and she has the problem to face which is the fate of the teenager, she has to confront the kidnapper. Therefore, this film will build up a lot of tension and suspense specially when the confrontation happens then the plots climax will be reached                                          

American psycho is about a young business man who hides his psychopathic ego from his co-workers, family and friends this film is about his journey to delve deep into his hedonistic fantasies which are violent in nature, he then ends up in an apartment of dead bodies and then confesses all his actions to his lawyer. This is a thriller film because it doesn’t just make you concerned for what the main character will do next, but for his victim’s fate creating tension of the climax of whether he is caught or punished.                                                  

Sub genres of thrillers:

Crime thriller is a sub-genre which is usually based on a robbery or a murderer where the plot is based on the protagonist for example the murderer or the gangster. These thrillers are psychological and action based to build suspense.                                                                                                                            Psychological thrillers are based on the metal capability of usually the main character, the theme in these films are not physical but mind related because the character could have been having a fantasy vision. They usually have a violent and discomforting nature because they are jumpy and sometimes cross over the horror genre very easily.                                                                                                Erotic thrillers are based on the main character’s sex appeal and provocativeness; this person is often the protagonist who has used this to their advantage to commit crimes such as murder. This type of thriller makes us fear for the victims in the film so the audience Is always on the edge of their seat throughout waiting for another scandal. Romantic triangles leading to murder may be a theme in this type of film.

Common conventions of thrillers: 

Thriller films are often shot in urban or suburban settings to give more of an effect of what you wouldn’t expect in somewhere that looks peaceful also to give the film more of an adventure for the characters.

The hero is often someone who is secretive but moral, mostly an outsider and the one who solves the puzzle or enigma and exposes the truth. Usually on a journey throughout the whole film to solve the mystery put out by the protagonist.

The narrative or plot throughout the film is often revolves around a mystery in which the hero must solve which is usually involved in a violent crime of some sort. The enigma isn’t usually solved until the end of the film.

The suspense at the end of the film is that the answer to the puzzle is often more rational than a supernatural explanation. Violent crime is the subject of most thriller films

The hero and the villain though often opposing each other are usually quite similar anyway or looking for the same thing out of the puzzle.

They are often reveal the workings of a government or secret agency during the film as they are either the hero or the protagonist. Such as the army, police, government.

The thriller is centred on the injustice of someone in society e.g. violent criminal, escaped prison convict etc. which is then solved by the hero.

Common themes:

Most often Crime, Terrorism, Psychological mind games, Romantic triangles leading to murder, Religious or political Conspiracy, Supernatural events, Pursuit e.g. a stalker and a victim.

Audience response to thrillers:

The hypodermic needle theory suggests that the audience is passive throughout and their intelligence is irrelevant and they will only believe what they see, what the film makers put out into the film. This theory suggests the audience can be manipulated into thinking anything that the film makers lead them to believe, they believe they can throw them off at any instance with plot twists such as the identity of the killer, the film can lead them to believe that everything they saw at the beginning of the film was all wrong and start contradicting their own thoughts. However, the theory with psychological thrillers is that they can interpret the film in different ways, and that they will be left to do research on the film ending afterwards.

The theory by David Buckingham is the creative audience, his theory is that young people use the media to make sense of their own experiences and everyday lives. He believes that young people can relate to characters in the psychological genre as they may be going through similar phases making the film more interesting for them, so then the main response is being inclined to watch more thriller films.

Researching this has helped me understand thrillers based on why they are made and how they captivate their audience by getting into the audiences head by using all different types of colours and effects along with camera angles and movements to make different meanings. Doing this research has enabled me to learn how I can also create some thing thrilling with meaning at the same time.