This is the grade which I believe our group is currently at according to the marking criteria (10/20= Grade D). I think this because the presentation of our blog is plain, there is work missing, uncompletted work on the blog and uncompletted work that is not on the blog and needs to be completted and posted. To achieve a level 4 we should complete all tasks and make sure all of it is posted onto our blog, and that the work is presentable, eye catching, and interesting to read.
I feel as though I am contirubing most to my group as I think I have organised most of our meeting dates, when we are doing things and who's doing what task. I think that Debbie is contributing more work individually than as a group as we dont have as she many free periods together than Sophie and I, where as I think Sophie is contirubing more when we are together as a group and not so much when she is trusted to do somthing individually. But as a whole I dont think the work is too unequel, but I believe that the work could be slightly more spread out between the three of us. To ensure equel contibution we have planned out what days we can all meet, and when atleast just 2 of us could meet up.
I looked at other students film openings from youtube and graded them at what level I thought the film opening was at according to the grading criteria. From this we will learn from these students mistakes in order to create the best possible
Film opening 1
High level 3
We can learn from this opening that an attempt has been made to create a thriller film. The sound used within the film opening is of a good standard as it introduces the theme of mystery within the film and it doesnt blank out the speech within the opening. There is also no background noise such as the wind, which is ideal, and foley has been use. I don't think the camera was used correctly as it sways as the character moves which looks unprofessional Also, colour grading could have been used to make the setting darker and/or shot at night to create a theme of mystery as the characters identity would be more hidden. In some shots, the character can be seen clearly, in others you can only see a plain shot of the side of the bridge. Therefore it could have been positioned better.
Film opening 2
High level 4
I think this film opening is worth a high level 4 as the sci-fi genre and teenage target audience are made clear through the use of CCTV camera's and the actors costume and appearance The actor is dressed down like a teenager and its clearly based in a town centre a common place for teenagers to hang out. The sci-fi theme is introduced through the use of font types of the titles and the costumes of the aliens chasing the teenager who are dressed dark and mysteriously. The CCTV shots also re-enforce this. The film has good composition as it uses the rule of thirds.
Film opening 3
High level 2
I think this film opening is only worthy of a level too as the picture quality is awful and the camera is shakey. They do use rule of thirds in some scenes but big gaps are left around the shot too. I was unsure whether the film was a horror or romance by the music and location. There has been no editing in terms of colour grading if it is a horror which would have made it more effective. The music doesn't suit the theme either and changes suddenly. I think the location would have been good given it had been edited, but I don't think that the actors were suitable as they were young and not dressed elegantly until further in, like an adult. An attempt could have at least been made to make the actors older through the use of costume and make-up.
We did a quick test on tv drama to test our knowlege and i struggled on some areas and my results were not too great. But from this i have learnt to revise regularly in order to come prepared for next lesson.
Using Adobe Photoshop and I-movie, I animated our production company logo which we drew. I did this by cropping the image on photoshop before putting the image onto I-movie, and making it bounce up and down towards the camera by adjusting the size of the image and positioning the image further into shot, then adjusting the speed. I then added the text and ensured that the text did not overlap the image. We made the logo thriller like by keeping it in black and white and added the top hat and monocle to make it thriller like, and kept it as a drawing on line paper as if it was part of a file. I am happy with our logo and wouldn't change anything about it as it's memorable and resembles to our logo, as well as suiting the theme of our film.
I watched a variety of different clips from TV displaying the portrayal of masculinity and femininity and brainstormed the portrayal of gender stereotypes, gender attitudes and behaviors, sound, mis-en-scene and camera angles.
From watching these video's we can gather that men are protrayed as the more dominant gender where as the women are shown to be the less superior. Many of the clips I watched were similar in terms of portraying stereo types as women are shown to be gentle, caring and take pride in their appearence as they fuss around the needs and expectations from the men. Where as men are portrayed to be muscully, boistrous and adventerous, and attract women as appose to the women who put effort into attracting the men.
Dominance of gender is shown through camera angles as shots of men are from a lower angle to show that they are looked up to and women from a lower angle as they are being looked upon.
In these variaty of different clips men are shown to be discraceful for being caring as they are expectted to be strong and laid back. They are shown to be the more dominant gender as they resist being spoken down to or being shown to be less powerful by the women.
In this clip the women are portrayed to be happy housewives are they are shown happily cooking and cleaning. The music supports this music as it exaggerates the pride women take in their appearence as the singer sings about clothes and presentation. Lots of clothes are also shown on screen and attracting the men. This shows us that the women are the less dominant gender.
In this clip women are shown to be more gentle from their soft tone of voice, where as the mens are serious to show superioty. The men are shown to be more intelectual, and it is shown to be a discrace that women are equelly smart as shown by the reaction of the other characters. The voiceover comments that the woman, 'embaresses herself' from doing this and she and her husband, who is now frustratted at her remark, escort themselves from the table. The voiceover also comments on the men 'exchanging witty stories' showing their intelectual status. He also comments, 'look at the women arn't they pretty, to show that their looks are more important than their personality or intellegence.
My group and I did some research into famous thriller directors to take influence from for our own ideas. To do this, we each individually researched a director before comparing the styles of their work-
I researched Christopher Nolan. From comparing these film directors and their style of work I think that I have been most influenced by Christopher Nolan as the films many of the films he has directed and have found The Dark Night in particular as epic through the use of dramatic effects of lighting, music and sound. Alfred Hitchcock has a unique graphic design he puts into his opening sequences and David Fincher's music video like openings.
We researched what BBFC was and demonstrated our knowledge of the topic through Go Animate. When creating our thriller films we must take the BBFC guidelines into consideration depending on our target audience and what sort of rating we would like to make the film.
I Brainstormed my ideas for a thriller opening- each of which had a different theme. Different films influenced my ideas- even if they were not from that genre/ sub-genre. I included only relevant details of the story-line in the brainstorm as we are only going to make the introduction to a thriller.
I then made a collage of stills from the thriller films that influenced my ideas. In the photographs i have included relevant lighting, camera angles and positions of the characters that would be relevant to the film opening i may choose to attempt to create.
I think everybody in our group equelly contiributted despite our unfortunate luck of having to re-shooting and editting our work. However, i felt although the whole of the background should have been black- so we could have possibly turned the curtain around the room. There were also props that are vaguely seen in the background which I think we could have done without- especially the light in the background in some shots of the criminal. Here you can clearly see clothing/ cloth has been used to cover crops and has been unsuccesful. This is made bolder by the white wall.
I feel although my strongest point within the task was getting the right angle in order to shoot the film and I think I am also rather good at editting and creating successful match-on action within the editting. I think I do however need to work on how to use the camera- such as different settings as I felt although I was asking for help from my peers too much. I should try to gain more knowlege of the camera before shooting out thriller openings. But in conlusion, I think that our Preliminary Task as a whole went very well as everybody equelly contributted and helped each other during the project.
To evaluate our group work we created a directors commenty ontop of our video. We did this by recording our voices on garageband, then importing it onto the video clip and saved it as a seperate file. Since our video was only 20 seconds long, we repeated the video over and over again whilst we commentted on what went well and didnt go so well during the shoot. We could have possibly muted the sound in the video so our voices were clearer as a points it's difficult to hear our comments. We could have also paused our video to the points that we were commenting on eg. the match on action we used in our filming. Considering this is our first video together as a group, i am very pleased with the outcome and i think we worked well as a group. As we mention in the commentery, there are some errors but i think we have learnt from these mistakes and we will ensure we will not make the same mistakes during our Thriller film opening.
My group and I created an interigation scene as part of our preliminary task- using our fellow classmates as representations of the detective and criminal. We created the movie by using different filming techniques and angles to create a suspisious atmosphere to draw in the viewers attention. We then imported and editted our movie on Final Cut. We cropped the clips seperate from each other before ordering them and deletting the irrelecant clips. We then cut the clips even shorter so no irrelevant details were included and the match on action clips were in sync. I think we editted the film well and is well constructted. Everybody equelly contributted not only to the filming but to the editting too.
This is our idea on how we plan to shoot our preliminary task. We tried to incorperate a range of different shot angles to create a sense of tension and suspision within the clip. Sophie and myself do not plan to act in the film however stood in as the role of the detective and criminal for the photographs. However, i think that these plans may change due to the room availible and wheather these shots are effective or not in creating a sense of atmosphere and to make the clip interesting. We also do not plan to shoot our film in this location as the setting is too bright, but we intend to shoot the footage in a dark room so the audience are unaware of where the characters are suppossed to be locatted.
Hide and Seek is the story of a father, David, and his mentally unstable daughter, Emily, who experience strange occurrences since Emily makes an 'immaginary friend' she names 'Charlie' following her mother's tragic death which she had left traumatised by. The mystery of the story is to who Charlie is any why he is trying to make Derek's life misery.
The film opens with Emily and her doll spinning round and round on a round-about. This is an ideal way of introducing the child's confused characteristics that are to define her personality shortly having been traumatized by finding her mother dead bathing in her own blood in the bathroom. The colour's are bright and the atmosphere is jolly as the child and mother are laughing. This is ideal in showing the audience Emily's transition from being happy to being traumatized and psychotic.
The last time Emily sees her mother alive, she is in a bright doorway against the dark room which she closes. This is ideal in showing the last memory of the Emily's mother from the her point of view. This scene is very significant as it demonstrates the light closing on her demonstrating life. The scene is repeated several times with the father in the new house, however he does not close the door and leaves it slightly open. Later on in the film I came to realize Emily captures these moments in her drawings. We can learn this as the surrounding is dark.
At the beginning of the film Emily makes what appears to be an imaginary friend she names 'Charlie'- who her father believes is the cause of the strange occurrences. The audience are led to believe that Charlie is a demon due to her drawings and the strange occurrences. But others are led to believe that Charlie is a representation of Emily's evil behavior and knowlege of these strange occurances. However, the twist to this is that Charlie is in reality who she refers to as her father's split personality which is revealed to us in the ending- but David forgets these occurrences as if he is another person.This shot shows Emily's desperation as she moves eagerly towards her father as if for forgiveness, but her innocence is unknown to the audience. Her figure is darker in the shot in comparison to the light in the background which only adds to the effect.
The location of the film is ideal as it's remote and away from the city. This is shown through the long journey during the opening title sequence. The setting is usually dark when the strange occurrences happen as well. It also rains alot during the film to give a sense of sadness.
The story is repetitive as Derek continues to wake up at 2:06 exactly to be led to the bathroom with a different message in the bathroom- the room in which he found his wife dead. The lighting is perfect as its dark and the candles make the message noticeable and strange as it stutters. The audience are also given the message it is Emily who wrote these messages as it is written in crayon and there is an innocent teddy below it. The audience are also told Charlie wants to ruin Derek's happiness so we know this is aimed at him. We are to learn that Derek was in fact responsible for his wife's death as his dreams gradually unravel the truth.
The trailer briefly shows the finale to the conclusion as Emily is running and Derek is calling her name but we do not directly see him, so the audience can get the impression that she is running from her own father. The film finishes in a dark cave with Emily covering her eyes from the horror of the event, possibly in the hope that it was all just a dream and in the hope that the past does not repeat itself.
In conclusion, Hide and Seek is great psychological thriller as it successfully demonstrates the characters mental illnesses and can make the audience believe in events that are not occurring. This is achieved by using a restricted sequence within the film. I would highly recommend the film to people who enjoy unsolving mysteries and puzzling elements of a film together to discover the truth.
As a group, we practiced importing sound onto the opening of the film Falling Down using garageband. We did this by watching the film with the sounds presence in the short clip, then we imported diegetic sound in the correct places of sequence in the movie by dragging the sound into Garageband, then cropping it and placing it in the correct place so the sound is in sync with the film. I am not very pleased with the result as it takes a while for the sound to come in, but atleast now we have had practice using it.
To practice using I-Movie, an application we will be using to edit our thriller films, in pairs we re-created the Se7en Opening title sequence using both images and film. We did this by dragging and cropping the secondary images to ensure the clips were not too long and only the relevant information was included. We also dragged on different effects- for example to make the image fuzzy to match the music which we kept on there. We then added text ontop of the images in the order the titles are shown (refering back to my Title sequence post). I think these effects were effective and i think we have successfully introduced the theme of a thriller, not only by the use of images and effects, but the hidden text within them. I am very pleased with the result considering it was our first attempt at creating a thriller opening.
This is our group presentation on different filming techniques. We will be using these shots in our own thriller filming to make our films more interesting.
Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!
Our group created a movie using GoAnimate to evaluate the sub-genres within a thriller. We portrayed the characters as Debra and I, discussing what sub-genre we wish to base our thriller film around- like we are currently. I am pleased with the result as its fun and colourful aswell as being informative.
The story line and theme of the matrix is introduced in the trailer as it quotes in a clear green text and black background. It quotes 'forget everything you know', as Neo has to forget everything he has ever known or did is a lie, to learn he has been a slave to robots. The text is also very computerised to show viewers that the film is based around technology and that it is futuristic. The use of the colour green is usually related to strange and unusual occurances, a theme the matrix follows.
The film opens with the police hunting down and chasing a woman. She also appears to have extra-ordinary abilities in which she can run faster and jump from building to building. She is also dressed in black clothes which introduces the character as mysterious, possibly as a spy or criminal mastermind. This interests the audience as they question who the woman is, what she has done wrong in order to be chased down by the law and how she learnt or gained these extra-ordinary abilities. This introduction shows us what people are capable of doing inside the matrix, however is un-recognised by the audience until the mystery of what the matrix really is, is unravelled.
We are then introduced to the character of Neo, a man who appears to be living two lives. In one life he is a rebellious computer thief, and in the other he is reffered to as Mr. Anderson, an office worker who appears to be mis-treated by others as shown when his boss is punishing him and reacts emotionless. This leaves the audience questioning which life is real and which one is a dream. The creators of the film make the audience question this as he questions this matter himself. The scenes from Neo's criminal life are dark and the music is loud and screamo, representing the mystery and wreckless nature of this particular life.
In the other life, the colours are dull and Neo (or Mr.Anderson as he is reffered to) appear to be bored as he gets distractted by the window cleaner. This shows us that although Neo is living this law obiding life in which he has everything he could need, he dis-likes this life-style, in comparison to is other lifestyle in which he appears to be happy in as he goes out. The audience are not shown Neo's social life within this other life, implying that his scedule is work based and repetitive. His day dreaming only highlights this matter.
The scene of Neo and Morphius meeting is a very significant scene within the scene as Morphius gives a wide range of different clues as it what the Matrix is, as he hint's 'what you know you can't explain', which can be refered back to when Neo questions wheather his life is real or just a dream. The image of morphius offering Neo the red or blue pill creates suspense as the audience learn they are to find out what the matrix is, as from taking the red pill he will discover the truth.
The image of Neo escaping from the matrix is un-ravelled within the trailer as a hand is reaching out out from a kind of goo with wires attached to the body inside it. It is revealed in the film that the person within this is infact Neo waking up and escaping from the slavery of the matrix. This scene also demonstates the fright as the character is confused and shocked to the reality of his life. The use of dark colours sorrounding him implies the danger. The identity of the person inside is hidden as the liquid/ substance in which they are in is not transparent and only gives us a shadow- making the identity of the being a mystery.
It is only at the very end of the film that these scenes appear to have a purpose as he prefered to be refered to as the rebellious computer theif Neo; as appose to Mr. Anderson, the push about he appears to be portrayed as in his professional life. This also shows us that Neo is more in control of his abilities and his life. This is shown as he controls the many bullets that have been shot towards him, whilst remaining calm.
In conclusion, the Martrix has been very successful thriller film as hints about the Matrix are continuously given throughout the story and keeps the audience attention. The film also remains the attention of the audience by creating a variety of action and suspense within the film. The film met all my expectations and more, as it includes all the features that the trailer highlights- such as action. They have also used relevant details such as their use of music, lighting and location to create the theme of mystery. For me, the Matrix was one of the best films of all time and would highly recommend the film to anyone who enjoys mystery thriller and lots of action.
Different techniques used in the sequence of a film
Different techniques are used in different films to make the film easier to follow or to make the story a mystery. These include:
- Linear- A story which has a beginning middle and ending in that order exactly. The viewers can follow the whole story and understand exactly what is going on. This is commonly used in fairy tales as its easier for children to follow the story.
- Non-linear- Where the viewers do not see everything that is going on within the story, and commonly includes flashbacks so the story is out of sequence.
- Restricted- This is when the viewers are unaware of what is happening within the story. This narrative technique is commonly used in thrillers as it leaves the audience puzzled and eager to uncover the truth.
- Omniscient- This is when the viewers are aware of everything that is happening within a story line. This is not usually used in thriller films as there would be no truth to unravel.
Enigma codes
Enigma codes are clues which unravel the mystery within the film. This makes the audience more eager to uncover the truth and is commonly used in thriller films.
Thriller sub- genres
There are many sub-genres within thriller films. These include:
- Conspiricy thrillers: Focus on the characters as hero/heroines stereotypically portrayed as journalists or armmature investigators trapped in situations. Many also feature powerful organizations.
-Crime thrillers: Focus on crime such as murder or robbery which may be successful or unsuccessful. They also emphasize on psychological aspects. Eg. The Dark Knight
- Disaster thrillers : Follow the story of a persons survival in conflict with a natural or artificial disaster. Eg. Inception
- Mystery thrillers: Follow the story of a detective/ investigator and focus on unsolving a mystery. Relate to crime thrillers.Eg. Shutter Island
- Psychological thrillers: Focusses on mentally and emotionally hindered characters who are pyscologically disturbed. Eg.
- Religious: Can focus around religious objects, aswell as the good and bad points of view of the religion. Many are based around catholic religion and the audience aim to discover truth within the story. Eg. The Da-vinci code.
-Supernatural: Something out of the ordinary happening. Eg. Incedious
How i will use these techniques and knowledge
These new techniques and information i have learnt will not only construct my film, but to also help me focus and understand which sub-genre i would use in own thriller film. When constructing my thriller film, i should make the storyline linear or non-linear and omicient or restrictted. I should also ensure i include enigma codes within my film to keep the audience intreeged. I should also ensure that the storyline is based around one of the thriller sub-genre's. I would be most interested in creating a film which is either a crime, mystery or psycological thriller having most enjoyed films of these sub-genre's. But also due to our low-budget, these films will be easier to construct and would be more effective as it doesnt require expensive high tech equiptment, softwares or great knowlege to create big effects- for example earth and bridges collapsing in a disaster thiller film.
In groups we made a diagram of different terms in relation to shooting and editting a film. We explained what each term stands for and may use this in our filming for our thriller film. Learning these terms gives us a better understanding of different techniques used in filming and for editing a film and why they are used.
I photographed an image of the alleyway across from my house as i believed it would be an ideal place to shoot a thriller film. This is because the alley is long, dark, tired and looks mysterious. I editted the photograph in black and white in order to create a darker atmosphere.
I analysed a wide range of different thriller openings and how we can learn that the film will be a thriller and the way they present the theme of mystery and suspense. I also then explained this information to a peer and asked on what they would expect the thriller to be about and their expectations. The thriller openings i chose to analyse were Vertigo and The Bourne Identity.
Vertigo opening scene analysis
What makes it a thriller?
The scene opens with fast paced music as a man appears to be climbing quickly up a ladder from a police officer who appears to be chasing him. The man then contiues to run and be chased by this police officer as he continues to run ontop of buildings and onto roofs. The film is also shown to be dark and cold as the scene is set in the evening and coloured blue. The man is stuggling, which creates a theme of suspense which is only built upon by this use of music. There is also a theme of excitement and mystery as the audience are left to wonder who the man is and what he has done wrong in order to be chased by the police officer .The image of the man hanging from the building leaves the audiences on the edge of their seat and draws them into the storyline as they fear for the helpless mans life.
Audience expectations
This is the mindmap i made conclusing what my peer expectted of this thriller film.
The Bourne Identity opening scene analysis
What makes it a thriller?
The film opens in a large, tired room which appears to be on a boat judging by its curved walls and small circular windows. Pathetic Fallacy is also used as there is a storm outside and the boat is rocking foreshadowing danger and excitement. In the foreground we see a medic operating on an un-consious man to remove bullets from his back- leaving us questioning how and why the victim was shot. The audience are also left questioning who the characters are and where are they going. This is ideal in creating the theme of mystery.
It also appears that the medic searching through the un-consious man's belonings as he turns to check he doesnt wake up. He then inspects his items, which makes the audience question why he is doing this and wheather either of them had something to hide. The man wakes up and confronts the man questioning what had happened and who he was, so the audience are left questioning why the man can't remember anything. We are also left questioning why the man's bank details was in-bedded in his hip.
Audience expectations
This is the mindmap i made concluding what my peer expectted from this thriller film.
I created a collage of stills from a range of different thriller films, posters and advertisements to observe how the images create the mystery and suspense the thrillers aim to achieve.
Inmany of the images, the facial expressions of the characters show fear and anger which creates suspense. Many of the characters in these stills also demonstrate their psychological behavior through their use of emotionless expressions which makes the character mysterious.
Many of the images are shot in a blue colour, possibly to represent the cold-blooded or emotionless characteristics of a particular character, or theme of the film. Many shots and advertisements are also dark and mysterious. Some shots are also blurred which also create mystery as the audience can not see what is happening. Many films also use a slight use of the colour red which many usually relate to blood, also creating the theme of suspicion. None of the images have a clear long shot view of a character so we cannot see them as a whole, but use many close up's and extreme long shots. This is ideal to be used in thriller films as the characters are mysterious.
In conclusion, successful thriller films successfully create the theme of mystery and suspense by the use of lighting and particular colours representing themes which relate to mystery and suspense. The emotion of the characters can also create a mysterious effect and leave the audience on the edge of their seat as they are drawn into the story.
In class we reviewed how many marks would count for each section of the course and when each section was expected to be completed by. This photograph shows us that our coursework will count for half of our grade. We will be marked out of 100 marks within this unit- which will asses our research and planning (20 marks), our film construction (60 marks) and our evaluation (20 marks).
The first section, 'research and planning', is to be completted by 14th of October, the construction of our film will be completted by the first of febuary, and our evaluation will be completted by 1st of March. After this, we willbe preparing for our exam
From the trailer of Shutter
Island, we can learn that the story line is based on a thriller as it
immediately introduces the theme of loneliness, adventure and suspicion within
its first few shots. We can also learn that the story is set in the early 20thcentuary by the use of old fashioned clothing the characters are dressed in and the small old boat they sail onto the island in. The image of the boat sailing through the mist’s towards
the camera shows us that the film is based in a remote location, far from
civilisation. The image of the lonely island confirms this. When the detectives
are brought into the prison, the detectives question which creates suspicion
within the story line. This shot also shows us the detectives giving up their
guns, possibly representing the loss of hope and protection which will occur
towards the ending of the film. The image of the almost bald headed woman
whispering to the camera introduces the theme of mystery to the film. This also
introduces the film as a psychological thriller. We are also told purely by
voiceover, that a dangerous inmate is missing- the plot of the film, and that
Teddy and his partner Chuck will search for them- as we are shown an image of
them looking over the landscape of the island.The theme of fear is introduced as the detective is told to
‘run’ by an inmate he questions.
Towards the middle of the trailer we begin to see images of
the main character, Teddy, in what we believe to be his dreams with his
deceased partner who is suffering and fading before him. However, as the
trailer unravels we are to learn these are his memories and are an inmate
himself- the whole plot is just a game. We can also learn that Teddy questions
the whole investigation as he quotes, ‘ No-one will talk, it’s like their
scared of something’ and further portrays the deep mystery involved within the
story.Tension is built through
the trailer as music builds up; however, more tension is portrayed in the
trailer than it is in the film. An example of this includes the shot of Teddy
creeping up stairs, which happens towards the end of the film. It is only
towards the end of the film we begin to see more action and tense, edge of your
seat scene’s when Teddy visits the restricted prison which only the most
dangerous prisoners are kept.
From watching the film and comparing it to the trailer, I think that many aspects of the story line are revealed in the trailer
however are un-recognisable without watching the film itself. The mysterious
images of the characters and their actions leave us puzzled, however this is
what caught the audience’s attention and lured them into the storyline.
However, the trailer does not reveal what the mental institutions have set up
this game for… an experiment. The trailer does not reveal the experiments which
the institution are taking out on Teddy, but is foreshadowed briefly through
the words of psychiatrist Dr.Sheehan who quotes, ‘I built something valuable
here and I am not going to give up without a fight’. I was left confused
towards the end as Detective Teddy seemed to have been taken willingly into a
dark tower by the psychiatrist and prison guards, after having refused prior.
But maybe this was set up to leave audiences confused and makes the film more
memorable. Or this could have possibly been set up to follow into a potential second
film?
In conclusion, I believe that Shutter Island is a very
successful thriller theme as it portrays a lot of mystery and suspicion within
the film and the remote location of the storyline only adds to this. Tension is
shown through the characters and the mystery is successfully portrayed as the
story follows the investigation with Teddy, the victim of the experiment, who
is also confused. This is also shown through the trailer, and much of the plot
is revealed within the trailer too. However, I think that the trailer adds more
suspense into the storyline than there is in the actual film, as it’s only
towards the end that there is action creating suspense. There are although many
brief suspicious activities throughout the film which leave the audience
questioning the storyline they have been led to believe. I would recommend
watching this film if you enjoy watching films that leave you puzzled and to
figure out the storyline for yourself. But if it’s action you seek in order to
create suspense within the movie, you will be left disappointed as you shall be
waiting towards the very end. As a whole I would give this movie a 4/5 stars as the mystery continues to grab the viewers attention and leaves them wondering what will happen next.
I made a timeline from the opening title sequence of Edward Scissor Hands to learn the order in which credits appear and how long each credit appeared for. I also made a note of the images we see in the credits and how this relates to the story line, but also how the music builds up and the effects this gives on the mood an atmosphere. This would help me in the future when i will be making my own introduction to a thriller film.
We compared each others thriller essays and concluded main themes which were mentioned in each others essays. This included characters, audience pleasures, mood/ atmosphere and events/plots/ scenes. This was our diagram.
From watching these video's we can gather that men are protrayed as the more dominant gender where as the women are shown to be the less superior. Many of the clips I watched were similar in terms of portraying stereo types as women are shown to be gentle, caring and take pride in their appearence as they fuss around the needs and expectations from the men. Where as men are portrayed to be muscully, boistrous and adventerous, and attract women as appose to the women who put effort into attracting the men. 
Hide and Seek is the story of a father, David, and his mentally unstable daughter, Emily, who experience strange occurrences since Emily makes an 'immaginary friend' she names 'Charlie' following her mother's tragic death which she had left traumatised by. The mystery of the story is to who Charlie is any why he is trying to make Derek's life misery. 
The film opens with Emily and her doll spinning round and round on a round-about. This is an ideal way of introducing the child's confused characteristics that are to define her personality shortly having been traumatized by finding her mother dead bathing in her own blood in the bathroom. The colour's are bright and the atmosphere is jolly as the child and mother are laughing. This is ideal in showing the audience Emily's transition from being happy to being traumatized and psychotic.
At the beginning of the film Emily makes what appears to be an imaginary friend she names 'Charlie'- who her father believes is the cause of the strange occurrences. The audience are led to believe that Charlie is a demon due to her drawings and the strange occurrences. But others are led to believe that Charlie is a representation of Emily's evil behavior and knowlege of these strange occurances. However, the twist to this is that Charlie is in reality who she refers to as her father's split personality which is revealed to us in the ending- but David forgets these occurrences as if he is another person.This shot shows Emily's desperation as she moves eagerly towards her father as if for forgiveness, but her innocence is unknown to the audience. Her figure is darker in the shot in comparison to the light in the background which only adds to the effect. 
The location of the film is ideal as it's remote and away from the city. This is shown through the long journey during the opening title sequence. The setting is usually dark when the strange occurrences happen as well. It also rains alot during the film to give a sense of sadness. 
The story is repetitive as Derek continues to wake up at 2:06 exactly to be led to the bathroom with a different message in the bathroom- the room in which he found his wife dead. The lighting is perfect as its dark and the candles make the message noticeable and strange as it stutters. The audience are also given the message it is Emily who wrote these messages as it is written in crayon and there is an innocent teddy below it. The audience are also told Charlie wants to ruin Derek's happiness so we know this is aimed at him. We are to learn that Derek was in fact responsible for his wife's death as his dreams gradually unravel the truth.
The trailer briefly shows the finale to the conclusion as Emily is running and Derek is calling her name but we do not directly see him, so the audience can get the impression that she is running from her own father. The film finishes in a dark cave with Emily covering her eyes from the horror of the event, possibly in the hope that it was all just a dream and in the hope that the past does not repeat itself. 
The story line and theme of the matrix is introduced in the trailer as it quotes in a clear green text and black background. It quotes 'forget everything you know', as Neo has to forget everything he has ever known or did is a lie, to learn he has been a slave to robots. The text is also very computerised to show viewers that the film is based around technology and that it is futuristic. The use of the colour green is usually related to strange and unusual occurances, a theme the matrix follows.
The film opens with the police hunting down and chasing a woman. She also appears to have extra-ordinary abilities in which she can run faster and jump from building to building. She is also dressed in black clothes which introduces the character as mysterious, possibly as a spy or criminal mastermind. This interests the audience as they question who the woman is, what she has done wrong in order to be chased down by the law and how she learnt or gained these extra-ordinary abilities. This introduction shows us what people are capable of doing inside the matrix, however is un-recognised by the audience until the mystery of what the matrix really is, is unravelled. 
We are then introduced to the character of Neo, a man who appears to be living two lives. In one life he is a rebellious computer thief, and in the other he is reffered to as Mr. Anderson, an office worker who appears to be mis-treated by others as shown when his boss is punishing him and reacts emotionless. This leaves the audience questioning which life is real and which one is a dream. The creators of the film make the audience question this as he questions this matter himself. The scenes from Neo's criminal life are dark and the music is loud and screamo, representing the mystery and wreckless nature of this particular life.
In the other life, the colours are dull and Neo (or Mr.Anderson as he is reffered to) appear to be bored as he gets distractted by the window cleaner. This shows us that although Neo is living this law obiding life in which he has everything he could need, he dis-likes this life-style, in comparison to is other lifestyle in which he appears to be happy in as he goes out. The audience are not shown Neo's social life within this other life, implying that his scedule is work based and repetitive. His day dreaming only highlights this matter. 
The scene of Neo and Morphius meeting is a very significant scene within the scene as Morphius gives a wide range of different clues as it what the Matrix is, as he hint's 'what you know you can't explain', which can be refered back to when Neo questions wheather his life is real or just a dream. The image of morphius offering Neo the red or blue pill creates suspense as the audience learn they are to find out what the matrix is, as from taking the red pill he will discover the truth.
It is only at the very end of the film that these scenes appear to have a purpose as he prefered to be refered to as the rebellious computer theif Neo; as appose to Mr. Anderson, the push about he appears to be portrayed as in his professional life. This also shows us that Neo is more in control of his abilities and his life. This is shown as he controls the many bullets that have been shot towards him, whilst remaining calm.
