The narrative structure in this film is chronological but almost like a montage of two stories crossing over. The opening of this film suggests that it is a crime thriller. The personal story sets the scene for this film. The film is domestic to begin with, with the setting being in a house with personal pictures to someone of a certain girl.
This film has some thriller codes and conventions, with the personal photos which were on display showing the love in the film because these photos matter and are important to someone else.
The camera work in this film has a lot of close-ups, but only of certain objects, never faces. The camera zooms and draws attention to the wallet and the initials JR on it, making sure the audience notice this. The film uses a jerky pan purposefully to try and show a point of view lingering over a set of pictures. There is also a low angle of a bug building, to try and emphasise the size of it and its possible importance in the film.
The mise-en-scene of this film involves the pictures of the girl graduating, showing she must be smart and intellectual, but also contrasting with other photos next to them of the girl playing sports, showing she also has an aggressive and sporty side. The fact that the important box has a logo of South Florida Seafoods has to mean something in the storyline. There are lots of containers involved, and it makes you wonder about the location. It also contrasts two places, domestic being in the home and industrial being at the place where the box was opened. On the top of the box, there is a stamp that says 'inspector approved', which suggests that perhaps someone of authority is involved in the activity going on.
The sound of this opening is very fast paced, and the pace gets faster as it goes on. There are some diagetic noises in this, with sounds such as a plane taking off, and keys rattling and doors creaking, which is suspenseful but with a creepy element. There is a suspenseful noise when the camera is zooming in on the wallet. The opening concludes with a door closing and someone hitting the door, all done in time with the music stopping.
The editing of this opening is smooth and doesn't draw attention to anything. It is all simple and straightforward.
In the graphics, there is no background with the credits, just white writing on black, which could suggest good and evil. The credits fade out almost getting smaller. The credits are all paced with the music well.
State Of Play
In the narrative structure, the film opens showing an old couple, a china shop, and a man on a bike who we are all supposed to feel sorry for because they are so vulnerable with the element of a killer in the plot. This goes through equilibrium, disruption then revolution. At the end of the opening, the audience is left with a mini cliffhanger as the witness on the bike is seen to be alive.
The thriller codes and conventions in the opening are that it the city is raining and very dark, which is quite common in thrillers. The audience is meant to wonder what the man is running from and what is in this briefcase, why is it so important. We know that this film has something to do with information, what this man has seen and what is in the briefcase.
There are a lot of point of view angles, which make you realise why he's looking at certain things. The camera work is very rushed, which is like the man running frantically. There are lots of extreme close-ups, showing emotions as the director wants us to sympathise with the audience. There are no two shots of the killer and victim together until the man is dead and he is standing over him. They use a track shot moving forward to show how the man is still alive.
There is lots mise-en-scene in this opening. The man holding a gun and briefcase makes us wonder if he is a hit man, especially because how quickly and smoothly he kills the man. The setting of the film is Washington, which suggests it could be about Western politics, and that it could be a political thriller. The old couple in the opening are very fragile and vulnerable, which again makes us feel sympathy for them. The man running then goes into a china shop, and the phrase 'bull in a china shop' comes to mind, which can also be associated with him crashing into the old couple because they are also fragile. When the man falls off his bike, there are people watching which stop the man from killing him. This links with how we live in a democracy, and how people cant get away with certain things because of people watching. When the man is dead on the floor, and the killer is stood over him, it could bring out some possible racial issues in the film, with a white man standing over a black man on the ground, because he has more power than him.
The sounds in this opening are very diagetic, with sounds of helicopters, sounds of the city, crashing and beeping, these all exist in the world of fiction. All these sounds also add excitement to the film. When the non-diagetic sound escalates, it brings out more tension and suspense. The thunder gets louder as the opening reaches its climax.
The editing in this film is slow to begin with and then speeds up, which creates the pace and suspense of the film. The speed gets faster as the man gets even more frantic.
The graphics have a classy logo opening, working title. There is a very establishing shot of Washington at night. In the title of the film, it flashes red white and blue, which again suggest a political thriller, because thay are the colours of the American flag.
Strangers On A Train
The narrative structure of this film is in chronological order, two stranegrs meet on a train, in conversation one mentions the idea of a perfect murder and then they part ways.
This film does not have the thriller codes and conventions typical of other thrillers. The music in the opening starts quite dramatic like other thrillers, but then fases into the sounds typical of a romance or comedy film. It is conventional because the plot is all about murder. The opening asks the audience lots of questions, like who the strange man is, what are his intentions, and why he is so pushy trying to get information from the other character.
In the camera work, the are lots of low angle shots of the characters feet and bottom of legs. There is cross-cutting shots of the two different mens feet and a shot reverse shot when the men sit down and assess each other. There are also lots of closeups.
There is lots of mise-en-scene in this film. When pulling up to the train station, the characters get out of taxis, which are very anonymous and give across this idea of strangers. The setting of the train station is unusual because this is a place where strangers meet. The opening does not show any shots of the characters faces, so not showing their identity again saying that everyone is anonymous and that we live in an anonymous world. The camera only shows shots of their feet because we use feet to travel with, linking with the fact they are in a train station, and the title involving trains. The opening makes it look as if the two characters are walking towards each other, as if it is their fate and destiny to talk to each other and cross paths. When the characters get on and the train moves, it shows two paths for the train to go down, as if the characters have two choices, and the train goes down one of them, possibly meaning again that this was destined to happen and they were meant to meet. When the characters sit down, it shows their shoes and their feet bumping, its almost as if when their feet knock, it makes them talk and they connect in life and tradgedy. We can notice how one character has strange, quite eccentric shoes, and these belong to the strange man, so the strange shoes match the strange man.
In the sound there is dramatic epic music in the opening of a full orchestra, this could be because of the time the film was released and how some films were playes with an orchestra playing. In the opening there is some quite happy and cartoonish music, but the music becomes more masculine when it is defferentiates the two character's personalities. The music also turns quite enchanting and magical, with lots of harps in it, but becomes much more dramatic when the characters are eventually on the train.
The editing speeds up as we realise the two characters are coming together and meeting.
The graphics are all black and white, and so is the film because of the time it was made. There are lots of different fonts used, and the title of the film is noticeably larger than the rest of it. The titles come up over a filmed background opposed to usual ones of plain backgrounds.
Seven
narrative structure:
Shows you how the killer plans out his killings which makes you know something that the detectives don't, this makes the audience feel clever. The credits are after a section of a film. Action in the first few minutes so that the audience becomes interested straight away.
thriller codes and conventions
Character at the beginning of the film is not shown which makes the audience instantly want to watch more to find out who he is. Why does he have all the weapons. Who is the dead character. Which city is it. Why does one character have a metronome? Who is the character that is writing in the book. Not seeing a character makes it very mysterious.
Camera work
Long shot at the start of the film makes the viewers more aware of where the film is set. Close up of character putting on a tie to let the audience know he is going somewhere, because he is wearing a suit it also makes the viewer think that his is important as it is a stereotype that high class people wear suits. Low angle shot on a dead character makes the audience instantly know that he was very vulnerable. High angle shot makes the main characters in the film seem important and maybe also make the audience feel vulnerable. Tracking shot shows movement instead ofthe usual stationary camera shots. Close up shots on the metronome which makes the audience think and asks why he has it. Close-up shots of what killer is doing lets audience know how he plans his murders.
Mise-en-scene
The character owns knifes and guns which means he is involved in danger. Character is very organised as he lays everything out, the films shows this as to let the know the characters personality. As soon as you see him talking about thedeath of another character and because of the type of hate and coat he is wearing you presume he is a detective by typical stereotype. The rain in the city matches the mood of the film, gloomy and dark. Young detective has scruffy uniform gives off personality of the character as laid back and unorganised. Lots of people walking past detectives on teh street makes the audience know that it is a busy city. You presume the character in the credits is the killer as he gets rid ofthe skin on his fingers and has pictures of dead people. Murderer black out a persons eyes which could mean the person has no soul as it is said the eyes are a door to the soul. He cuts out the word god in a dollar bill which means the film might have something to do with god. The end of the credits shows you allot of handmade book which could mean that he has been planning for a while.
Sound
Diagetic sound while logo is being shown gets you into the film slowly, also thesounds lets the audience know that the film is set in a busy city. Another character swears which makes the audience think he is not a nice character or that he isn't as upper class as the main character. None diagetic music sounds likescratching records. Eerie sounds during credits. 'you get me closer to god.' lyrics are heard which could mean the film has something to do with religion.
Editing
Shots flow well not drawing attention to itself. Blur to make the audience focus on certain things. During title the effect draw attention to itself by using effects such as ghosting which makes the viewers feel that he has been writing for along time. Also the amount of effects used in the titles shows that the film is professionally made. Red shots in the credits connotes danger.
Graphics
Font shakes could connote fear. White font and black background connotes thefight between good and evil. Handwritten font. Does not put much emphasis on themain title.
Thriller Analysis; Strangers on a Train
Narrative Structure;Two people meet eachother on a train journey, they begin to talk about life and such and this conversation involves murders.
Thriller Codes and Conventions;The main plot is about murder.The sound used in the begining is dramatic, used to build up tension it then moves into a romantic comedy feel.
Camera Work;There is alot of low level camera work, this could be to stop identity being as obvious as there are also lots of close ups on legs/feet.The film uses shot reverse shot in their conversation to show the characters are assessing eachother.
Mise en Scene;It is set in a train station. Anonymous people are walking towards eachother, all dressed the same, well dressed and they all look quite respectful, they have different shoes on to establish different characters. The fact they are walking towards eachother symbolises walking towards their fate. Everybody at the train station is a stranger to one another and this resembles their fate, as do the train tracks, asif life was meant to go one way, but has ended up going in the 'wrong direction'.
Sound;Orchestra is used to build up the tension at the start.Happy, almost cartoon music is used, when the opening scenes change direction ( romantic comedy ) and their is also enchanting music, to make the viewer think this is going to be a 'happy' film. Characters in the film also have motif music.
Editing;Cross cutting is used, also the editing speeds up as we realise the characters are coming together.
Graphics;Black and white titles are used, to represent good and evil, they are also placed on the action of the film, rather than blank space, this could incorporate them into the film more, maybe representing that the good and evil in the film has already begun.
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