Thriller film, 'The Mechanic' P1

Went out the other day and caught this film on offer in the shop, This is a really good thriller as far as i watched (About an hour in) including different camera angles to increase tension. The plot is that the main character (Jason Statham) is a well trained assassin who in his business is called 'A Mechanic'. After we get to know how his character works in generally we see that he is given his new target, his closest friend. For a few minutes we see that the main role is thinking his choices through, what he should do, and IF he should do that. Eventually it cuts to the scene with 'the target'. His phone rings  and we cut between the shots of the main role and the target as they have their conversation, we get the feeling that the main role is helping the target escape but as soon as the target reaches his escape route given by the main role we see that it was a trap and that the main role is waiting there. after killing the target that was also his best friend we cut to the funeral, we see that the main role talks to the son of his best friend. the son knows what the main role does for a living and asks to know how to be like him to kill the man who killed his dad. This is about where i left the story but for what i saw i thought it had been a real thrill-ride and that there is still a lot in store for the rest of the film. I will post P2 once i have seen the rest of the film.

Not a good thriller film

Watched a film yesterday named 'The day of the jackal' and as a thriller it was one of those you'd only ever watch if you had to. To begin with the film moved quite swiftly moving from the back ground of a faction and an assassination attempt, from then on it became bland, boring and too slow, after half an hour of relentless torture at the hand of the director i turned the film off. It just came to a halt and lost all of my interest.

How ‘The Happening’ could be linked to the thriller genre in terms of editing, Mise-en-scene, sound and camerawork.

Using Mise-en-scene we get the feeling that ‘The Happening’ is a thriller. This is by using abrupt and sharp editing effects. When it fades from black into a scene it shows a police officer lying down on the ground in the middle of the ground. This adds to the tension and thriller elements as a police officer is seen as an authorities figure and so having him laying on the ground shows that something is stronger than the authorities. Low angle shots on the street make the audience feel vulnerable and exposed. When the camera moves backwards through the street which is empty it plays on the viewer’s minds and fears. With the white text on a black background it increases the impact on the film. This film is aimed at the young adult to middle aged adults. The conversations and silence within the film is Diagetic and the signifies, music, voice overs, humming, musical crescendos and tubas are all non-Diagetic sounds which are added afterwards to increase tension.



New word learnt! :D

Ideology: A theory or set of beliefs or principles. Especially one on which a political system, part or an organisation is based.
'The people are caught between two opposing idiologies'
                                                                 ^Labour and Democrats

Notes on media lesson 13/09/11

Looked at editing in this lesson, Mainley types of editing and continuity editing.


-Transitions, ways to join two shots together, The most common shot is the straight cut, They keep continuity and pace in the film.
-Dissolve, Gradual transition from one shot to another, shows a move from location to another location

Notes on media lesson 08/09/11

Genre

What is Genre

It is a type of category or film, You can create genre through directing a film, You can choose the genre depending on the audience  and you can get to understand genre as a student or film critic.

List of Genres:

- Horror

- Thriller

- Comedy

- Action

- Slasher

- Shooter

- Hybrid..(see definition later on)

- Parody

- Drama

- Spin off

- Romantic

- Sci-fi (science fiction)

- Spaghetti western

- Slapstick

- Fiction

- Anime

- Tragedy

- Fantasy

- Adventure

- Documentary

- Mockumentary

- Gangster

- War

Major genre - Dominant important category, generally obvious to the eye.

Sub genre- Minor category of subdivision

Hybrid genre - Combination of major genres (Randomisation)

Certain audiences call to different films and genres

Can be used to sell the film.

Can attract a mainstream audience

Play with a variation of genres

Giving audiences what they expect

Giving historical progression

Define, create and utilise stars

Generic codes and conventions help to identify genres. (Mise-en-scene, Characters and storyline)

Contextualise - make sense of something which is given out of context. Giving it meaning and understanding

Mise-en-scene - Puts into a frame, the set, prop, characters, camera, landscape and lighting of a certain point.

Media lesson 09/09/11

Looked at the types of Camera editing and angles today. Looking forward to using them although some will prove to be more of a challenge to fit into a film clip than others. I find myself unable to watch a single thriller now without looking for the conventions and key elements of a thriller, guess that's a good thing.

Notes on the thriller 'The Sentinel'

- Unsteady camera views - news crews and recordings
- Quick switches between close up views of people
- Loads of close up and medium shots through the course of the film
- Long shots of important landmarks - helps to pinpoint the location of the film
- Focusing on pivotal items
- Gives a sense of power to the protection on the roof  via camera angles
- close up shots of the brief in mans hands
- follows person to an office then stops at the office doors and tracks his movements around the office
- near the beginning it constantly flicks between the security boots and the vehicles outside
- As vehicles pull into the driveway it is shown from a downward angle making it so that they seem enclosed and safe in that area
- quick flick of different views of the presidential helicopter creating tension
- medium shots during press conferance to show the audiences view
- Birds eye views of suburbs
- Close up shots of photographs
- Rotation around the presidents head from ear to ear
- Close ups of firearms
- black and white section at the beginning
- Slow motion is widley used
- Security camera views
- Fades from one time frame / place to another
- Unstable cameras looking into crowd giving tension
- Time gaps
- Radio chatter in background
- Gunfire off screen
- Screams and Sirens
- Background office noise
- Cheering
- Distorted voices, menacing
- Shouting

Notes on the thriller 'Shooter'

- Uses slow motion at tense sections
- Flashbacks show what's at the main characters mind
- It's a political thriller
- Assasination
- Being set up
- Tense music making the audience curious
- Conspiracy theories
- Tension build up from medium shots zooming to close shots
- Obscured visions
- Dark menacing rooms - horror, fear and tension
- long shot of man walking to a meeting in the middle of no where. Literally
- fades from one time frame to another
- Ex-US ranger - 'Hard man' which is one element of a thriller
- Framed - Facing death sentence
- Smarter antagonistic force
- One of the jey elements of a thriller which is the mystery that has to be solved
- Through the film we see it through the protagonists point of view
- Desire for justice & the protagonists morality in question
- Coruption hides behind the faces of the innocent.