12. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Analysis

The Editing in this clip is conventional of the Thriller genre because it is fast paced throughout (which also links to the genre of Action/Adventure) however, cross fades are used to go from shot to shot so it doesn't actually seem as fast as it is. The fast paced editing also suggests the action that is going to come during the rest of the film. The screenshot that we see is the process of a cross fade between two different shots.

 

The Mise en Scene in this opening sequence is unusual due to the objects that we see. For example, one of the first things that we see in dragon skin, then straight after this we see water droplets. This is strange because these two things have nothing in common and prompts the audience to ask questions. We also see, lips, tyres, wires and small metal balls during the sequence. The screenshot that I have taken is of fire, I chose to take a screenshot of this because it is the only thing that we see in the whole sequence that isn't black or white. The constant low key lighting emphasises again, the genre of the film and the monochrome colours connotate the contrast between purity and death.

 

When I heard the Soundtrack to this opening sequence I was shocked because it is not at all what you would expect of a film like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The music is non-diegetic, fast paced, low pitched and very loud. There seems to be a female singing and the song reminded me of one people may exercise to in order to give them motivation. The music has a Dubstep genre which is non conventional when putting into consideration what kind of music is used in films such as 'Se7en' and 'Brick', both of which are also Thrillers.  The Soundtrack however, does adhere to the Narrative on screen, which is very conventional of opening sequences in general.

 

The cinematography in this opening sequence is very conventional as it continuously uses Extreme Close Up's to show great detail of certain objects but hides everything else. This is almost giving the audience clues which makes the film seem personal. The unusual framing of the objects (like the flowers and the hands on the face, towards the end of the sequence) adhere to the Thriller genre because they disorientate the audience. Also, the flower is the most natural thing that we see throughout the whole sequence  yet even that, we do not get a clear view of, which is also mysterious.

 

The Titles in this opening sequence are not very conventional of the Thriller genre. The font used is very serious, but also very small. The fact that it is White font on a Black background highlights (as I said before) the thin line between purity and death. Also, there is not much attention drawn to the Titles, because the main focus, is the objects on the screen. This is similar to The Sixth Sense in the fact that the Titles are kept simple but effective. The fact that more than one person's name is one screen in the screenshot to the left suggests that they are of low importance in the film, because usually, the Main Actor or the Director, would have the screen to themselves.



Vox Pops

Analyzing My Genre Through Vox Pops.

Crating these Vox Pops allowed us to get an idea of what people (our age especially) wanted from a Thriller film. They also told us what people expected (so what is conventional and non-conventional) therefore we can decide whether we want to challenge that. The Vox Pops also gave us ideas and inspiration.

16. Audience Research Explanation

The first pie chart that we see shows the age of the people answering out questionnaire, as we can see, everyone was between the ages of 16 and 24. This could work as a disadvantage because the answers could be seen as biased, however this age group are proven watch Thriller films the most so it wasn't all bad.

The next pie chart that we see tells us whether the interviewee was either Male or Female. It is important to have a mix of genders because stereotypically we view Males as being 'braver' and more likely to watch Thriller films, however the answers we received challenged this and shows the wide range of people that do enjoy watching Thriller films.

Furthermore, the next pie chart that we see answers the question 'What types of characters are expected in a Thriller film?'. We got a wide range of answers but can see that A Damsel in Distress was the most popular. This answer definitely adheres to stereotype because in contrast to Males, Females are seen to be the weaker sex. Other popular answers we received were 'Someone of Danger' and a 'Scary Male' who would be the antagonist.

The next pie chart shows what our interviewees thought of the Music in Thriller films. We can see that Eerie/creepy music was the most popular which is very conventional and is always expected in films like Thrillers and Horrors, however, because of this convention and again 'stereotype', we hope to challenge this is our Opening Sequence.

Finally, the last pie chart we see shows the opinions of the general things expected in an Opening Sequence for a Thriller film. These are the things that are present in the majority of Opening Sequences and our most popular answer was the main characters to be introduced, however the way in which we do this is planned to be unique and individual.

16. Audience Research 2

Final Pie Charts

1. Initial Ideas

14. Location Research

These are the grounds of a small, old church. I thought this would be a good possible location for us to film our Opening Sequence because it is isolated, eerie and could give an insight into the main characters life (perhaps he has chosen to adhere to the rules of Religion after committing so many sins). A church would also be an unusual setting for a Thriller which would be a unique approach.

This a derelict piece of land of the top of a hill that would be a perfect location for filming the opening sequence to a Thriller. I think this because not only is the top of a hill a good place for someone in our characters state to harm themselves, but the view from the hill could show challenge the fact that our main character is all alone because we can see the rest of the World getting on with their everyday lives.

This photograph was taken on an Industrial Estate, where there are not many people, but a lot of buildings and factory like structures that could look harsh and threatening if filmed in the correct way. I chose to photograph this turning in the Industrial Estate because it looks old and unused (it is right next to an empty building) however, just along the road there are people working and carrying out everyday tasks. This could be the place our character comes to think things over whilst feeling violated and paranoid at the same time.

My final photograph and the favourite of all of my possible locations is a Graveyard. This is a good place to film because it matches all the criteria of being a good setting for someone in a bad mental state. They could be thinking 'I wish I was dead' or perhaps visiting a friend or relative who they miss and feel this is the only way to contact them. Because we are only filming an opening sequence we do not need to give away all of the hints, which works in our favour as it makes the mood  more mysterious and ambiguous.

3. Memento (Nolan, 2000, US)

2. Plot Synopsis

For our opening sequence, we are going to be adhering to the genre of a Thriller film. This is a simple overview or synopsis of the storyline of our film, and what the most important parts are (as they will be the one's that are either shown or hinted at in our sequence).

We wanted to start the sequence with a disequilibrium so to begin with, we see a man in his late teens or early twenties playing with piano, this is a memory or a dream. Then all of a sudden he is in his bed, he turns over and decided to go downstairs and he seems to be in a rush to get ready, get his belongings together and get out, although we are not aware as to why. During his rushing about the house, which is very messy and suggests the man's disorganisation. We witness him having flashbacks to previous events that adhere to the everyday routine of getting ready that he is carrying out. An example of this is when he runs the tap in the bathroom and splashs his face, he seems to remember that he had previously drowned someone. This is similar to when he gets his razor out and he then reminisces to when he slit someone's throat, which we assume leads to the victims death. We also see a chase scene, all of which are memories that he seems to be remembering.

When the man finally leaves the house, which is in a suburban and rundown environment, we learn that he is very paranoid (perhaps even suffering from a mental illness?!), and believes that everyone is judging him on the events that we have just recalled, even though they are just passers by that are blissfully unaware of them. We get a sense of both guilt and nostalgia. We see point of view shots that show members of the public looking at him strangely, but later learn this is all in his head.

When the man arrives at his destination, it is derelict, isolated and eerie. Is this his home? We are left on a cliffhanger because then he is back in bed, he turns over so the audience can't see his face, and we hear the piano droan out in the background.

10. Titles

Titles by libby_hennessy on GoAnimate

Animated Presentations - Powered by GoAnimate.

These are the names of the Production and Distribution companies that Sixth Sense were created by.

We then see who the film is 'owned by', or the Producers.

We then see 'Bruce Willis' who is the main character in the film.

Then the title of the film appears.

The less important actors then begin to appear.

We then begin to see members of the Crew. They begin being not very important.

We finish by seeing the name of the most important Crew member: the Director.



13. The conventions of a Thriller film

11. Se7en Analysis

• The cinematography in this opening sequence is very conventional as it contains a lot of Extreme Close Up's that show fine detail of various objects such as the sketches of the hands, the pen on the paper and the poloroid photographs, etc.  However,whilst these things are being showed in great detail we are unaware of what is being hidden in the background. This is very mysterious and intrigues the audience.  
• The cinematography also shows that the Director has chosen to place objects in the frame in strange and unusual places. This decision could be a reflection of what is to come later on in the film. 
• Another thing that I immediately noticed about the cinematography was the shaky camera work. We assume this has been done purposely to disorientate the audience and make us feel uneasy and on edge, which is very unusual so early on within the film. The shaky camera work also suggests that the film is going to be 'shaky' and 'full of surprises'. 
• The editing and titles in this opening sequence also hold meaning. The editing is mid-paced throughout but builds up further and further so it ends up being very fast paced at the end. We also notice very subtle cross dissolving during the mid paced cuts. 
• The split screen that we see towards the end is non conventional of opening sequence and reminds me of a video game set up. There could be various hidden meanings behind the decision to use a split screen. The layered image technique that has been used is both disorientating and 'jumpy'.
• The titles used are very simple yet very effective. We see a black (which is the predominate colour) background with small, scratched white lettering on top. The fact that the colour black takes up most of the screen is very harsh and symbolises the idea of 'death' and 'danger'. The small amount of white which usually symbolises 'birth' and 'purity' gives us a clearer idea of both the genre and narrative of the film.
• The non-diegetic sound that has been used is a Trent Renzor soundtrack. Renzor is very popular and best known for his work within the Horror/Thriller genre of film. The music holds a score which is a montage/mix-match of high pitched scratching. Another element that puts us as the audience on edge. 
• There is a point during the opening sequence where we hear very quiet and soft singing, which sounds like a choir. This is unusual in comparison to the genre and previous soundtrack that has been playing throughout the sequence. This adds an eerie feel. 
• The final and most important thing that I recognised about the Soundtrack was that it matches not only the narrative, but the movements of objects and cuts on screen. This is effective because it makes the piece flow and seem both stable and strong. 
• The mise en scene used within the opening sequence is very conventional. The extreme close ups of the objects that match the genre/narrative of the film such as the books, the pen, the paper, the film negatives and the needle and thread all show both domesticity and hints at torture. I feel this because the needle could be a representation of both sewing which is very domestic, and skin being prodded at/ripped. This causes the audience to ask questions, although given the genre of the film, we stereotypically assume that someone is being tortured. 
• One thing in the opening sequence that was not conventional was the consistent high key lighting, which is often a reflection of the mental or emotional state of a character.  Putting into consideration the fast paced editing and the hints at torture, low key lighting would be a more suitable reflection. 
• The film that we see being wound on to the projector suggests not only the time period at which this film is set, but everything this person is doing seems to be in search or preparation for something. This again, prompts the audience to ask questions, and develops a personal connection in which they want to find out what happens next. 

9. What are the conventions of an Opening Sequence?

'Establish Mood/Theme'

'Titles'

'Disequilibrium'

'Soundtrack'

'Prompts the audience to ask questions'

'Establishing Shot'

'Giving the audience clues'

'Production/Distribution logos'