Research Task - The Bourne Identity (2002, Doug Liman) by Maria Beardall

Research Task

'The story of a man (Matt Damon), salvaged, near death, from the ocean by an Italian fishing boat. When he recuperates, the man suffers from total amnesia, without identity or background... except for a range of extraordinary talents in fighting, linguistic skills and self-defense that speak of a dangerous past. He sets out on a desperate search-assisted by the initially rebellious Marie (Franka Potente) - to discover who he really is, and why he's being lethally pursued by assassins.'


KEY:
Camera
Editing
Sound
Mise en Scene

The Bourne Identity

1st Scene:

Shadow in the sky

The first scene in The Bourne Legacy shows a shot of the sky - there is diegetic sounds of thunder, rain, wind whistling and the sea as the mise en scene shows an establishing shot in the middle of the sea - a dangerous and unsafe place to be generically which immediately creates worried feelings. The mood is mirrored by the weather; pathetic fallacy. Therefore the sky is dark and gloomy to create a miserable and mysterious atmosphere. The figure is obviously human yet seems alienated as falling from the sky, like a strange presence as it isn't seen to move at all, making it scary and powerful over all as it is seen from a low angle shot.

There is also a soundtrack of strings playing in the background to create a initially slow and sad atmosphere. There is also a slow stringed together pace as there is no action yet.

When the lightening flashes there can be a body seen - and currently the audience have an objective view compared to the crew, yet there is no reference to where he has appeared from in the opening scenes.

2nd Scene:

Unaware of the body

There is a juxta position as the camera pans down to show the crew who are oblivious, making the audience omniscient as they are seen to be playing card games. The sound of outside quietens down yet the non diegetic soundtrack continues much louder with diegetic sounds of them laughing.

First seeing the body

The wind becomes the main noise again and the music turns to a crescendo as the worker discovers  the body through a long shot, with a close up on the man's face who is working outside to show shock and completely no relation to the body, therefore knowing they are innocent fishermen. The strings begin to speed up the pace worryingly to notify the audience that the action has started and the realization there is a man overboard kicks in. A Steadicam is used to record the reaction of the fisherman to show the boat is unsteady and potentially a little edgy to be on.

Flash to titles

There is a mid shot from a low angle to show the body's silhouette and hide whoever it may be and the sound is of water as if the audience were swimming underneath the body to really make them feel as if they are participating and to show there are no vital signs of life and that if that human is alive they are very close to dying. The screen then flashes to black and the titles appear - they form in a fast yet cryptic way to show that it is a fast fetched action thriller.

3rd Scene:

Pulling the body on board

The next scene quickly fades in with diegetic sound of them heaving the body up and struggling to do so - leaving out the part of the story of them all rushing out and really reacting to the discovery of the body. This makes the audience not waste time on smaller details that aren't needed and also as this can be assumed and isn't part of the action wanted to see. The cuts are fast and unsteady camera work  to show the task wasn't easy and isn't typical as they usually haul fish not humans, and creates excitement. They speak in a different language to show how alienated and disorientating it was and with no sub titles makes the audience feel that too.

Sign of life

There is a CU cut to the hand of the body, still not completely seen to create suspense and longing anticipation to find out who the body is. When the hand moves in the low lighting so it is just visible, the crew shout a little in alert and may make the audience jump as it was surprising and unexpected for him to survive, the crew rush to help the barely alive man as the non diegetic soundtrack and deep string made beats of the music go hand in hand to create a chaotic scene as the crew shout above the storm, and the editing pace is faster to continue this as the shots are mostly all handheld or Steadicam shots to make the frame move around and create an unstable mise en scene as they head down to the packed cabin areas - all rushing and looking for things.

Final crucial moment

The once fun area that was around the table to play chess has been completely destroyed within seconds as it is wiped away to place the man down. The cuts begin to slow again as the men file out and a bald man with a beard (stereo typically presumed wise) shouts orders in an unknown language clears the room and fetches a first aid kit of some sort. The shots now focus on a mid shot of the man lying down from the man who begins to treat him and then cuts to an extreme close up of a very precise and delicate moment of a scalpel being inserted to the man's skin - a crucial moment. The music slows seconds before the extreme close up begins and the screen fades to black to create suspense without any clues of how the surgery went.

Conclusion:

• it works well as a thriller as it a good beginning setting that creates tension due to low lighting and pathetic fallacy was used incredibly well
• it appeals to 17-25 year olds as it is full of pace and leaves a cliff hanger that makes the audience demand more and also creates mystery and drama using music particularly well
• its organised by leaving in plot that was a necessity and being selective, and therefore leaving out dull or uninteresting parts of the story that can be assumed and keep the audience intrigued 

Research Task - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011, Tomas Alfreson) by Maria Beardall

Research Task

'In 1970s England the head of MI6, Control (John Hurt), dispatches an agent (Mark Strong) to meet with a Hungarian general who knows the identity of a Soviet spy in the organization's ranks. However, the mission goes wrong, and the general dies before he can reveal the information. Undersecretary Oliver Lacon (Simon McBurney) calls veteran agent George Smiley (Gary Oldman) back from forced retirement to ferret out the mole and stop the flow of vital British secrets to the Russians.'


KEY:
Camera
Editing
Sound
Mise en Scene

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (http://moodle.centralsussex.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=36523)

1st Scene:

Secretive room

The first scene starts off  very quietly and secretively with an OTS shot which causes curiosity as to why the man waits at the door for it to be opened in the mysterious, dark hallway and who both the men are. An older man opens the door and doesn't seem threatening as he is smaller, wearing light, baggy clothing and also seems slightly annoyed to disturbed. He says 'trust no one Jim' as they walk in and that shows the audience that they are companions and on the 'same side'.

The mise en scene is firstly an old room, which is very messy and full of books. It seems more like a place that is harmless and for information, and as the first and second characters walk over to a desk in a pan of the room at the end of the room this seems routine - who is in charge and what are they doing together? The two men walk slowly, the older with a limp to show he isn't dangerous. Music is playing in the background, presumably an Italian opera song which makes the scene seems slightly nerving, yet there is no suspected threat in such a suburban sitting room - too dull to hold any real, dangerous action. The pan/tracking shot of them walking to sit down and the slow cuts whilst talking shows the pace is slow, therefore this scene holds information and the two pick up conversation. 

'Off the book mission'

They converse in shot reverse shots about 'Russian identities' and 'unfinished business' in calm and reserved voices. The one in command, portrayed by John Hurt, smokes a cigar casually to show that they are very informal. The Italian music gives clues that the calm doesn't last forever as it is so out of place and almost eccentric compared to the two of them and that both are very intellectual. The scene then fades quickly to a flash forward with the sounds of diegetic Foleys of an plane to suggest travel without having to literally show it.

2nd Scene:

Cutaways of each other walking to destination

In this scene there is a very smooth pan of the street as the camera cuts from one side of the street to the other - tracking the two men as they walk towards the destination they are both meeting at. There is a sense of curiosity raised as they repeatedly look at each, shown by editing of cuts to each other and their eyeline, other as the camera has them in the frame at a mid shot, whilst people and vehicles pass in and out of the shot, changing the depth of field to create a busier and more rushed feel to the streets. There is a piano and wind instrument playing as non diegetic music to suggest interest as it is first of all light but deeply felt and strings which heighten as their voices begin to talk of important topics and their voices whilst discussing continues to play/narrate over the two men traveling to meet. The character who opened the door says 'there's a rotten apple and we must find it', describing an agent who has turned against them.

3rd Scene:

New scene, new establishing shot

The music changes as it slows and gets longer with mostly string instruments, and diegetic music from the cafe starts to play over it to show the transition.

The man he is meeting is supposedly on his 'side' yet seems very odd as his costume is presented very well, with a dark roll neck jumper and a smart blazer. Compared to this, the first agent looks very relaxed yet both don't look at ease - their body language looks uncomfortable and odd, a hint to the audience that something isn't right and puts them on edge.  

Nerves shown by the waiter

The waiter seems oddly shaken and not composed as he struggles to hold the drinks which aren't good qualities of a waiter and seems extremely nervous - a bead of sweat has dropped from his perspiring head - noteing warning signals that something isn't right as otherwise he wouldn't act so oddly to the audience.

Noticing the details

There are then cutaways to and from the agent seen in the previous scene to direct the audience of where he is looking and picking up as he does how everything seems very odd and staged. Noises such as birds and bands playing are made louder in editing to create a sense of what senses the agent is picking up on as he looks around and body language is key as the audience see the onlookers stare and then look away once the attention is on him, and with the diegetic music being intensified and exaggerated such as the band playing it all begins to seem nerving and unnatural for the audience. These many cuts to simple situations notify that these are important to view and this therefore creates tension and suspense as the cuts become more frequent to them suggest the more evidence that there is an unusual atmosphere forming.

The pace of editing picks up quicker as he looks around more and realizes everyone is watching him and waiting where it is indirectly said to the audience that this situation is a trap - subjectively noticed with the agent that the audience have been with since the beginning. His facial expressions begin to change and alert the audience as he looks increasingly worried as he realizes he is outnumbered and stuck. Tension and drama is created as the audience don't know if he will die or live. The first agent  feels extremely uncomfortable - given away when he asks the second man where the person they are waiting for will be and the second smirks and says 'here soon', which immediately isn't the appropriate response a fellow spy should have to the odd goings on following all the cutaways suggesting there is abnormal behaviour; to which it is realised he is the 'bad apple.'

Shot down

The first agent abruptly leaps up and knocks over a chair in panic seen as the movement was very unmade and the audience realise he knows its too late. There are mid shots of him quickly walking away as the waiter runs out and shouts 'block off the area' etc. in a different language which generically confirms he is the antagonist. He then shoots and the shots ring out diegetically and there is a final shot of the agent falling as it cuts to black.

Conclusion:

• it works well as a thriller as it has suspense and creates a climax using cutaways so the audience subjectively view it just like the character is
• it appeals to 17-25 year olds as it is thrilling in the sense that it is unknown that the antagonist was one of the agents supposed friends - this catches people off guard and creates excitement and shock
• its organised by creating smooth transitions from one scene to another using voice overs from previous scenes and a fluid mix of music 

Sam McLeish's Textual Analysis of 'Phone Booth' (Joel Schumacher, 2003)

Image 1

Key 

Camerawork, Editing, Mise en scene and Sound track.

Image 2B

Image 2A

Like in 'Total Recall', 'Phone Booth' starts with an establishing shot of the Earth, as shown in image 1. At this point in the film, the non-diegetic, off-screen soundtrack, is a relatively upbeat and entertaining song. This isn't typical for the industry but it is still useful because it completely juxtaposes the action that is later to come. Also, as the 'camera' zooms into the Earth, more specifically New York, it turns into a circuit board, as shown in images 2A and B, through the editing. This is clever because as the whole narrative of the film revolves around this motif of telephones.

Image 3

Next, after the camera starts to film, it zooms out from an ECU shot at a rapid pace to the Long Shot/Establishing Shot with the focus of the man holding the phone. This is clever because as the imagery would of have to been sped up during post-production in order to achieve this. However, these variations of speeds temporarily make the audience loose focus on what's happening in the scene which is useful for thrillers as it makes the audience focus on what's happening at that moment, and not what's happened in the past.

Image 4

After an establishing shot of New York (which is still important because it is relatable to many of the audience members), the camera cuts into a shot which zooms into a group of singers, as shown in image 4. In terms of their costume, they are dressed in typically late-90s, early 2000s style clothing. For example, the John Lennon-style glasses and the leather jacket wore on the central singer gives a clear indication of the time period. 

Image 5

Image 6A

Image 6B

This also fits in with the next shot, image 5, because at this time in history, flip phones were the centrepiece of most people's technological lives. Again, the motif of phones are shown so the sequence has so far, clearly established the time period and has vaguely established location and some of the narrative. 

Image 6C

Image 6D

Image 6E

In image 6A, the camera focuses on the man first talking on the phone, which then speeds up, zooms to another performer in image 6B, which then cuts onto a CU shot of a woman's face in C. After this, the camera then again cuts onto the man's face in D and finally cuts onto a shot where the Shallow Depth of Field changes from the poster onto the cop. All of this happens in one very fluid movement and sped up in the editing process. However, this sort of filming gives the impression of an outer-body experience because it is no way that they are trying to convey a POV shot with the extremely low angles of the people. As a result, it is just clear that the producers are simply trying to create an upbeat sense for a thriller in an interesting way. However, the distorted way they present it to the audience suggests they are trying to make it confusing for the audience to watch. 

Image 7

From the shot of the man with the billboard, image 7, a diegetic, off-screen voiceover is introduced. This is useful because previously in the sequence, the only information in that is provided to the audience is visually which is;

• It's set in New York
• There is a motif around phones

This then is useful in a thriller film because it allows the audience to actually get some background information on what they're about to watch. If this wasn't done for this sequence, we would only know the above which isn't useful because the film wouldn't be as dramatic.

Image 8

Finally, the use of the diegetic, on-screen overlapping sound of all the people talking at the same time in image 8 allows the audience to get a sense of how busy the phone network is. Also, the editing is clever because the combination of the images and the sound is too much for the audience to take in. This disorientates them which makes them feel tense.

Overall, I feel that this film doesn't tell the audience that it's going to be a thriller film from the outset, unlike the other films that I have analysed. As a result of this, I don't think my target audience would approve of this because it has a rather dull opening sequence in comparison to other thriller films. 

However, what I would steal from the film is the use of overpowering sound and visuals and the same time to make the audience not know what to focus on whilst emphasising a point.

Silence Of The Lambs (1991-Johnathan Demme)-Research into Thriller Openings-All Scene's-Jess Smith

Mise en scene

Camera

Sound

Editing

Scene 1

~The opening of the film begins with cut to a low angled, wide long shot (figure 1) of a woman, placed in the centre of the frame in a comfortable, exercising costume with her hair tied back and no make-up climbing over a high, wooded obsticle. 

~It's set in the a natural area; the woods, therefore there is natural light coming through the tall tree's. Although there isn't a beaming sunlight in this shot the sky is clear and gives a nice light blue colour to the frame, contrasting well with the dark brown tree trunks and wooden frame.  

~During this shot there is the Foley sound of fast, yet heaving breathing as she climbs the rope which works well because it shows she's working hard and that this is physically tiring for her. 

Figure 1

~There is also an off screen orchestral sound on top of the breathing which is off high volume and a mixture of tones. 

~The camera actually began behind her, when she fist climbs the rope (figure 2), however it pans round from the back to the front after she's flipped over it (figure 3).

Figure 2

Figure 3

Scene 2

~Following this, the camera then cuts to a close up, eye level image of a male's face. 

~His facial expression is quite reserved in this shot, therefore it's hard to read anything major so we can't suggest and what type of person he is. Similarly, his body language can't be seen from this shot, therefore we can't look at that either. 

~There is a darker lighting to this close up, however we can still see his face, because of the close up of him and the positioning of him in the centre of the frame. 

~This man is wearing a navy blue cap which has *FBI* written on it in bold, capitals letters in a white font which strongly suggests he's works for the force. In addition, he's also wearing what seem to be exercising clothes also. 

Figure 4

~The sound used in this shot is the continuation of the off screen orchestral sounds, however when he turns to face the camera the noise level rose, creating a more tense atmosphere. 

Scene 3

~Next, there is a cut transition to a long, straight angle shot of a new, yet still outdoor setting (figure 5). All the audience can see is a large, cream colored brick building with a group of people climbing down the right hand side of the it in the frame and a group jogging out of it on the left hand side of the frame. 

~There is a grassed patch taking up the majority of the frame, adding a green colouring to the shot and there is also a beam of sunlight reflecting on it, adding some brightness, which this shot was lacking. 

~There is little decoration to his shot because it is outside of a building, however because of the people around it/ on it are all dressed in uniforms, suggesting it could be a training camp. This can be supported by the next shot (figure 6) as she is surrounded by people in uniform. However because this is unknown it creates enigma. 

~This shot has the same off screen orchestral music the previous two scene have had and it's at the same volume as scene 2. However there are also ambient sounds and on screen Foley sounds, such as a quiet sound of something heavy dropping. 

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Scene 4

~Following this, figure 7 is another cut transition to a medium, eye level shot and included the same female character, still dressed in her exercising costume, but with around 9 men in the frame surrounding her too. 

~All these male's are dressed in the same red polo top with clear badges on the side on them and cream coloured trousers with a brown leather belt, which brings a variety of colouring to the frame that they are positioned centre of. 

~The sound used in this scene is simply just an on screen sound of her feet moving into place to stand in position in the lift. 

~And because this is shot from the outside of a lift there is no decoration to this shot and is purely lit with the artificial lights from the lift. 

What inspired me?

~I liked the way they used the same soundtrack for the whole opening. I believe it gave it that good continuity. 

~This opening didn't personally interest me, in comparison to the other openings because I didn't find it as enjoyable due to the lack of thrilling action. Therefore I think this is for an older age range and not for my target audience because of the narrative structure.