Title Sequences

The title sequence for Seven doesn't directly open the movie, we are first introduced to the two main charecters who meet for the first time. We establish their on screen chemistry and partnership and also the main key features which are found within seven; desperation and violence. By the end of the scene we see Detective Sommersets night time ritual of calming down, and drowning out all the chaos from his day with the sound of a metronome,it's repetative rythm almost sends him and the audience into a hypnotic trance. As the picture fades into darkness we then exposed to the darker title sequence where we follow the short story of the hands of an unknown man, whom to the audience will be presumed to be the antagonist. We see him making entries into a journal, taking clippings from books and primary photographs. His planning is obessive and methodical and the audience are taken into the mind of a serial killer obsessed with religion.

Leon Analysis

Leon is an English language, French thriller directed by Luc Besson in 1994, it stars Jean Reno as Leon who is a professional assassin who rescues Matilda (played by Natalie Portman) whose parents were killed in a police raid.

The opening shot shows a built up city, it’s a tracking shot which shows us a larger variety of the setting, with this being the first shot the audience get a feel for where the film will be set. After this we already begin to see that some sort of quest is ahead of Leon, this shown through the dialogue and the use of props; black and white photographs of a particular person taken without them noticing, which an audience will assume to be the target. A mission or adventure is a typical convention of a thriller which we have straight away seen. Furthermore during the conversation between Leon and the other unknown man we are only shown close up shots of the two meaning that we cannot see their full faces, only parts, which hides their identity and creates mystery. Identity is also hidden through costume, Leon wears a particular style of glasses with black lenses, therefore the audience cannot see his main facial feature or relate to his emotions (as they cannot see his emotions).

When an informer phones the targeted man (character name: fat man) to warn him about what it about to happen to him, Leon arrives with a gun pointing at his face this shot is shown from Leon's point of view and when he does shoot him (with no remorse), a large amount of blood goes everywhere, this is intended to grip the viewer yet it also shows that Leon is cold hearted through his lack of emotion. We then straight cut to fat man who after hearing the gun shot at the end of the phone is looking scared and anxious. The audience also feel a sense of urgency from fat man as he is trying to now do three things at once; get dressed, walk and talk. This is also shown when one of his bodyguard/heavies asks him what’s up fat man replies with “Someone is coming up. Someone serious.” Leon is obviously dangerous judging by how fat man speaks of him, moreover it foreshadows to the audience that something big is about to go down. Fat man has numerous bodyguards in the hotel that are there to protect him which portrays that in his drug world he is important, and when there are five of them waiting for he lift to open (assuming Leon is about to walk out of it) they shoot profusely, although they stop to then realise that actually, the first person on the phone to fat man that Leon killed is hanging in the lift. This is a warning sign to the bodyguards about what he is capable of, it’s also ironic. As the audience also expect Leon to be in the lift yet it was a trick.

As more bodyguards are on the hunt for Leon in the hotel the music is increasing the tension to make the viewer believe that it’s drawing up to something big. Leon has a method; he kills each body guard one by one, in different ways, rather than just shooting them all at once. This takes more time and planning which is adding suspension to the plot.

The shot returns to show fat man in a shut ff, what is supposed to be secure room with little lighting. The way the lighting is used in this scene is all the while building tension, dark lighting obscures vision so that fat man will not be able to see properly which makes the audience wonder what will happen next. As fat man struggles to find more rounds for his gun his breathing becomes heavier and straight cuts are become more frequent, this is typical of a thriller to show fast paced action. After he finds another gun he then phones the police for their help, which is ironic considering fat man is a drug dealer. All the while this is happening there is non diegetic sound which resembles the sound of a heartbeat, when Leon silently comes out of the shadows behind him and puts a knife very slowly to his throat, as soon as it touches his neck, the sounds cuts out completely, which like his heart probably did stop. The camera uses the golden mean, Leon is still behind fat man in the dark, with partial light highlighting some of his facial features. Once warning the fat man he leaves and walks back into the shadows without killing him. This adds suspense as the audience do not know if fat man will appear again during the film.

Mise en scene of leon

Mise en scene	How are each of these elements presented in Leon? Are they conventional?
Costume	-Suit shows importance and authority, also has slicked back hair showing that he takes pride in his appearance. This is further shown through when the dead body gets blood onto the suit, the man continues to shoot him in rage although he’s already died. -People who surround the suited man wear a lot more causal clothing i.e. jeans and t-shirts, shows they are unimportant compared to him. -**Leon takes off his jacket to reveal what seems to be a leather vest/holster (seen as prop)  -Leon wears a certain pair of glasses throughout the film, he wore them when he attacked the drug mule and his body guards, and this is to hide his emotions and identity.  -Matilda’s mother is dressed in a tight black mini skirt with a low cut leopard print top, as mother this appears inappropriate.
Lighting	-Mostly a lack of lighting throughout the whole scene watched. Making places look dingy and creating mystery as darkness effects vision. This is conventional of a thriller as they tend to be dull, eerie, tension builders etc.
Props	-Leon owns a plant which is next to a spray bottle of water. This plant could be a representation of life or that it is the only thing Leon has to look after and take care of. When he leaves his apartment he opens the window and places his plant in the sun to photosynthesize. -Leons apartment door has a door viewer which becomes a large part of the beginning of the film. Most of what we see is his point of view through the door. -**The leather vest/holster has a lot different compartments with weapons, by the looks of things this a regular prop that Leon wears which shows that he is usually in danger and needs protection. -Leon places a gun on his coffee table, which seems ironic as behind this, is a photo frame with Mary, mother of Jesus. These two props totally contrast one another although Leon may feel that his actions are justified through religion.
Setting	-Most of the scenes are in the block of flats that Matilda and Leon both live in. This is conventional of a thriller to show realism so the audience can relate to it. -Leon’s apartment’s kitchen is a mess, nothing is clean and everything looks empty, this shows that Leon spends more time out, killing people than indoors looking after the place where he lives. -The Cinema is also a setting we see, Leon is seen watching a romance film which only one other person is watching, it makes us fee that Leon is lonely.

Seven Analysis

Seven is a psychological thriller staring Brad Pitt (as Detective David Mills) and Morgan Freeman (as Detective Lt. William Somerset). The two detectives hunt down a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his method of operation.

When we are first introduced to Detective Lt. William Somerset we see him in his home getting up and ready for work. He puts on a suit and picks off the slightest hair on his jacket. To an audience this shows that Somerset takes pride in the way he looks and has a level of formality. We also see a dressing table, on this there is a number of props specifically placed perfectly which Somerset picks up in a particular order. This unordinary behaviour shows Somerset is extremely precise and organised in what he does, which is shown throughout the film.

54 seconds into the film after being introduced to Detective Lt. Somerset we see a crime scene with a dead person, face down in a pool of blood. This is unconventional of a thriller as the death has came very quickly, by doing this it creates instant mystery into who the person is, why and how he has died and any motives. Furthermore this is an instant contrast between Somerset’s regime at home and the chaos of his job and death, therefore there is already a lot for the audience to watch and keep them hooked. Somerset notices a child’s drawing attached to the fridge (another prop used) he then asks the other detective on scene if the child saw what happened, this shows Somerset’s personality, he thinks logically, what if the child had seen? Could they be interviewed etc. but the other detective is agitated at this question and thinks its irrelevant saying that he’ll be “glad to get rid of you” (talking to Somerset). Moreover we see more contrast, in this shot reverse shot where they speak of the chid, Somerset is seen in the kitchen with a child’s drawing displaying innocence whereas the other detective is shown in the room of the crime scene with blood splattered all over the blind.

We are then introduced to Detective David Mills, we see him walking up the stairs to the crime scene, he seems relaxed and carefree, this shown through what he wears and his personality. Compared to Somerset who wears a sharp suit, Mills wears a creased, un ironed shirt, top button undone with a loose tie and a jacket which was fashionable in the time period. He also walks with his shoulders slouched and his face vacant, which to the audience would seem peculiar as he doesn’t seemed bothered by the graphic scene he has just walked into. Very soon after this the setting changes and we are taken outside with Somerset and Mills talking to one another, the weather is conventional of a thriller; miserable, grey and rainy which can also be seen as pathetic fallacy against the death. The shot type is a low angle and shows Somerset walking just in front of Mills furthermore, Mills is jumping in and out of people to keep up with Somerset whom no one walks in his way. This shows who has the most authority between the two, this is also shown through the mise en scene of the contrast in their clothing. When the two speak Somerset asks why Mills fought to get the job in this area and when Mills replies reciting his qualities Somerset tells him to forget everything he knows and ‘the next seven days’ will be different from anything he’s done before. By stating the time period of seven days we are reminded of the title of this film which foreshadows events and sets the film up.  

The title sequence for Sev7n is incredibly effective, we’re shown a number of different shots which all straight cut into black, these are edited together fast paced to create tension furthermore black shots were used instead of any other colour to create an eerie atmosphere, black is the colour power and strength it’s a sombre colour which is associated with evil, the colour evokes strong emotions and is easy to overwhelm people with too much black. The white credits contrast with this and are shown to be sketchy and flicker on and off screen by them doing this they seem rough rather then being ‘nice and neat’. All of the shots revolve around one person in the opening, possibly the antagonist although the most we see of him is his hands. The shots show him writing in a journal, cutting negatives and cutting off his own fingerprints. To the audience this could be presented as the serial killer creating a log of his victims and hiding his identity. All of these shots are edited and faded to be dull almost black and white shots although we suddenly get the first shot of colour in the title sequence which is saturated in red, red is the colour of blood and danger. By doing this the audience are still enticed to the title sequence and stay interested.

After the title sequence we see Mills with his wife in bed then getting ready for work, it is also shows the contrast between the beginning and how the two detectives get ready for work entirely different. With his clothes slouched over a chair and his tie ready done. He is ready and waiting for Somerset in the pouring rain with a warm coffee for him, obviously trying to impress and create a good impression. Although Somerset rejects the coffee and focuses on the job in hand. We then see a tracking shot with Somerset in being briefed on the crime scene they are about to enter, and again Mills is left walking behind. This shows out of the two who is leading the case. When entering this crime scene the place is covered in flies and other insects to the audience they can see that the body has been there for a while. We then see an incredibly large dead man sat at a table with his head in a bowl of food, along with this bowl we see the table is covered with half eaten bowls of food which seems suspicious furthermore when searching the house there are numerous amounts of tinned food, stacked and organised. This is bizarre as a person who would live in the squalor the audience are subject too would not organise their food in such a way. But, then the shot goes to the victims feet and we see they are tied up, cutting deep into is overweight ankles which shows not only to Somerset and Mills but also to the watchers that this was no accident, someone did this to the gluttony victim. Which creates the storyline of tracking down the killer and the mystery and suspicion of who would do this.

The Terminator & Sixth Sense

Watched up to 1:45

At the beginning of the clip we watched for The Terminator we see a que of people waiting behind a caged in area, this straight away shows a feeling of entrapment with no where to go, although the terminator himself just walks straight through and into the club effortlessly taking down any one who tries to get in his way. This gives the audience an insight into his strength and what damage he could possibly do. The camera movement for this scene firstly shows a tracking shot at eye level, following the terminators face. Whilst all of this is happening there is non-diegetic loud music playing in the club, the lyrics of this song say “you’ve got me burning”, “never let me go” and “I am your prisoner”. This particular song is played because the lyrics foreshadow the events that are about to occur. Furthermore it also matches the period of time. This movie is set in the 80’s and the music is from the era. The whole mise-en-scene also shows the 80’s theme through the use of costumes, hair, make up and setting. Although, the terminator is dressed entirely different, he wears big, dark baggy clothing. This is also part of the mise-en-scene as it is showing how different the terminator is to normal human beings. At the climax of this scene we are shown Sarah Connors point of view (through the use of camera shots). The terminator is pointing a gun at her with the red laser pointing at her face, from the red glare that is seen the audience get the impression, due to the colour that it signifies anger, danger or death.

Watched full clip

The scene we see from The Sixth Sense being by showing a traffic jam in the middle of a city, while seeing this we also hear the voice of a woman having a conversation. The camera pans in, on to a specific car which the audience then see is the car with woman who we hear the voice of. She’s talking to her son about what accident could possibly be blocking the road etc. The mise-en-scene so far displays an inner city suburb with very normal people doing day to day things. This is conventional of a thriller as it shows a realistic view on life which the audience can relate to. When the camera stopped panning it became a two shot using the golden mean, with the points of interest being the son and mother. The first thing we hear from the child is that he’s “ready to communicate” for a child of 7 years of age this seems like a strange way to communicate, especially with his mother. Cole (the child) then states that he sees a dead woman standing next to him, this bold statement is shown by the first camera movement, the camera has not changes position since the beginning of this scene. From the camera movement we also see the dead woman that Cole sees, this is from the protagonist’s point of view. Furthermore this is unconventional of a thriller as usually you would expect non-diegetic sound to begin to build tension. But there is just silence –the diegetic sound from people walking past and the cars around them. We are then shown mid shots of both Cole and his mother to show each of their reactions and emotions so the audience feel like they are on the same level as the characters and can feel emotive  and upset towards the both of them.

When comparing the two thrillers against one another, they show two entirely different perspectives on what conventional thrillers display. They both show a protagonist, with Sarah Connor (The Terminator) and Cole (The Sixth Sense). Both protagonists deal with death, Sarah’s being the fear of her own life, and Coles being dealing with the dead who he sees. Furthermore we can see that they both have some sort of adventure or quest. From the small clips we see, The Terminator shows the terminator on a mission to find Sarah Connor, her running from the terminator and Kyle Reese trying to kill the terminator in order to save Sarah. Yet in The Sixth Sense we begin to see the journey unravel with the emotional conversation of Cole opening up to his mother. And the journey is about Cole helping out the ghosts which cannot move over. Although both the movies demonstrate the common conventions of a thriller they are completely different.

Psycho 'Shower Scene' Analysis

Psycho is a murder thriller originally by Alfred Hitchcock in 1960. A more modern remake was created in 1998 by Gus Van Sant, I will be analysing this version and the stills from it.

The majority of the camera work in the shower scene of psycho is mid to close up shots, by having shots at this distance the audience can clearly see reactions, also, it gives the feelings of claustrophobia and entrapment which relates to the scene as Marion Crane cannot escape from what is about to happen to her. Secondly, the camera shots are shown from three perspectives, the first being the victims, second the killer and finally third person. This gives the audience an all round collection of shots which can show us as an audience what’s going on from all points of view. The camera is also angled at eye level to engage with the audience and give them the feeling that they are there in the situation. This is bar a few shots such as the knife which is a low angle shot to show the powerfulness of the knife and the damage it’s about to cause.

Psycho mainly consists of jump cuts and straight cuts when it comes to editing, these shots become shorter and faster with cutaways when the stabbing begins, this is to show the action is climaxing. Between the shots of the killing we see a cloud/storm shot. This is pathetic fallacy where weather represents the current mood. After Marion’s death the pace of the editing slows down to show the calmness and peace from her not having to fight back and that the action is now over. Along with fast pace editing at the climax, the audience also begin to hear a discordant violin, the non-diegetic sound is in sync with the stabbing which exaggerates tension and grabs the audience. The music then goes to minor scale at the death of Marion, the change in music represents the change from the action of Marion being stabbed to the now very stationary, lifeless body lying on the floor. Finally, a reverb on the water from the shower was applied when it went down the drain. This represents the emptiness in the room and not only water draining away but also the life being drained out of the room.

This shot shows what is first, a close up shot of Marion in the shower, washing herself, to the audience this is a sense of realism and what everyone does on a daily basis. But the camera them pans from right to left, and zooms out ever so slightly to become a mid shot, when it then becomes a still it’s composition forms the golden mean, with the two points of interest being Marion in the corner with a figure in the background. Although we cannot see who it is through the opaque shower curtain. To the audience this creates mystery as we do not know the identity. It also creates anticipation, as they see from a third person camera shot that Marion is totally oblivious, with her back turned. The at an eye level angle so that we as an audience feel on the same level and can engage with her.

In this mid shot we see Marion’s feet with blood all around her. This is a high angle shot looking down, and is from the killers point of view, this therefore also shows the killers power over her by looking down on Marion who is dying and defenceless. The framing shows the bottom of the shower and her feet, they’ve included this to show the contrast between the white bathroom and the blood. White is usually a colour which we associate with being pure and angelic and a bathroom relates to cleanliness, whereas the red blood which is seen so clearly against the bathroom is a colour of hate and anger. Moreover Marion's toe nails are also painted red, this could be to show the complete opposite side of the colour red; passion, love etc.

 

 

 This is a close up shot of the drain after Marion has been stabbed, as we can see the blood is going down the drain and this can be seen as a representation of Marion’s life now being washed away. The shot is tightly framed so all we as an audience focus on is the drain. Like any plug hole, the water (or in this case blood) swirls down in a certain angle, and from this shot we then see Marion’s eye, which also, spins out in a circular motion to show you all of her motionless body. This is called match on action.