Analysis of the Opening Sequence of Once Upon a Time in America (1984, Directed by Sergio Leone)

The first shot is of a woman's shadow. This silhouette and the noir lighting (created by the dimly lit room)immediately establilsh the film as a thriller, with the dark feel and generic noir lighting.



Eve entering the dimly lit room - the lack of light makes the lighting noir-like

When the light is turned on, you see the woman who is wearing a fur coat and pearls - immediately esdtablishing her character as a femme fatale figure, another thriller convention. Within seconds, you know that the film is thriller.

The light that is turned on to reveal the character, Eve, creates chiaroscuro light, establishing an uneasy, unsettling area. As Eve pulls back the covers to find the drawn shape of a body on the bed, the radio in the background pays "God Bless America". This provides irony and juxtaposition, as Eve is discovering a crime at the same time the song is praising America. The over the shoulder shot here (as seen below) helps you to relate with the character and understand her situation and feelings. It also makes you emphasize with the character and want to support her, which makes her death soon after this shot have more of an impact than if a random woman who you have no connection with had been shot at the start of the film.



Eve discovering the shape of a body on the bed

When Eve is cornered by the men (who are wearing stereotypical gangster costumes, establishing their characters straight away), many close-up shots are used to help involve you in the scene and make you feel as if you are there. This gives the events of this opening scene more impact. The aforementioned costumes, which support the generic thriller characters (glamorous, attractive femme fatale and wealthy, arrogant gangsters who can buy expensive clothes), help to establish the genre of the film. The costumes and what they connote (femme fatale and gangster) immediately tell you that this film is a thriller.

Casino Royale Analysis - Differences between the Thriller and Action/Adventure Genres

The film "Casino Royale" (2006, directed by Martin Campbell) is a great thriller/action-adventure film. This film could be classed as a thriller, but there are some sequences where the film turns into an action-adventure film where the main character, James Bond, performs stunts that are unrealistic and manages to survive an onslaught of gunfire. However, the grittiness of the film, along with more realistic fights and settings, make it much more of a thriller than previous Bond movies. To show the two genres this film spans, I have chosen two scenes and analysed them.

Thriller: The opening black and white scene

This opening scene is a great example of a thriller scene. It starts with a car drawing up to a building - the area is lit by chiaroscuro light from the street lamp. this suggests that, like the lack of light, there is a lack of good and peace in this area. The black and white used in this opening sequence is used for multiple reasons - it shows that the sequence is in the past, it is a reference to older noir thrillers (e.g. Psycho), and creates a hostile atmosphere. There are many shadows used in this sequence - this implies that the area contains many dark secrets and mysteries. The room where the man is confronted by Bond is small and cramped - this is a generic thriller location. Also, the flashback to the toilet where Bond murders someone (the black and white also tells us that this is also a flashback) has many thriller conventions in it. The location, a small, claustrophobic, grimy toilet is a generic thriller location. This location has been used in many other thrillers, such as Witness (the murder sequence) and Psycho (the shower scene), providing intertextual links to other thrillers. Showers and toilets are used at other points in this film, such as when Bond fins Vesper upset and sitting in the shower. This strengthens the intertextual link. The gritty, desperate fight and murder tells us immediately that this is not a light-hearted family film - it is a thriller, with a new, physical, gritty James Bond character. This is reinforced by other scenes in the film, especially the torture scene.

Action/Adventure: The chase scene near the start of the film

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJubOZLpp4A

This chase scene, where Bond chases a target through building sites and national embassies,  is primarily an action/adventure sequence. The chase begins with a great bird's eye view shot to set the scene and inform us of everything that is happening immediately. The first  major point that makes this an action/adventure sequence is when the mark fires a gun at Bond through the windshield of the digger James Bond is driving. All of the bullets miss Bond - while this is possible, as many bullets hit the windshield of the small compartment where Bond is, it is unlikely they would miss. In addition, the two characters perform quite extreme parkour when they are in the pursuit. On the other hand, this is not over the top - trained agents such as Bond would be able to perform some of the stunts performed. When the mark is climbing up the building site, he is also extremely accurate with a pistol (during the over the shoulder shot, which brings you more into the character's situation and his shooting), even though he barely looks down the sight and the targets are far away. This is highly unlikely, but for excitement purposes, it is manufactured. When Bond and the mark both reach the very top, panning and tracking shots are used to display the whole scene. It immediately tells you what is happening, and it makes the events at the top of the industrial site more epic and breathtaking. The hand on hand fight at the top is probably the best example of Hollywood action/adventure in the whole film. The characters always mange to hang on, defying gravity. It is likely that one would lose their footing as they are fighting in an extremely narrow place. Finally, when the characters make huge jumps and perform impressive stunts, they take little damage when they fall or hit the ground. There is little blood anywhere in the scene - the characters just get dirty. Realistically, the characters would take more damage - but for reasons such as keeping the characters looking good, they do not take much visible damage.

At the end of this scene, you are told an important thing about this incarnation of James Bond's character. He goes through all of this to get the mark alive, but when he is cornered right at the end, he kills the mark because he will not be able to capture him. This shows a large amount of recklessness, which is then highlighted again multiple times in the film.

Other noteworthy aspects of the film:

The main enemy of the film, Le Chiffre, carries an inhaler and has a problem that makes him "weep blood". This tells us many things about the character. His inhaler highlights a weakness - asthma. This can be taken advantage of - Bond bugs his inhaler when in the Casino Royale. "Weeping Blood" implies evil. Immediately, it makes us think of him as sinister, dangerous and evil.

James Bond bugging Le Chiffre's inhaler - a weak point of the character

Le Chiffre weeping blood

A key scene in the film is the torture scene. After this scene, the film turns into a romance story, but this serves as the final chapter in Le Chiffre's role as the main enemy of the film. The chiaroscuro lighting in this scene makes the location more unsettling and uncomfortable. The location for this key scene is a generic thriller location - dark, damp, cramped, and claustrophobic. The whole scene is gritty and dark - possibly the darkest in Bond history. The close-up shots involve you more into the scene, making the torture more horrific. When Le Chiffre is killed,there is a low angle shot of his killer, with Le Chiffre pleading for his life outside of the shot. The low angle shot makes his killer seem more dominant and powerful.

Torture scene - chiaroscuro lighting on display

The next scene is in a location that seems like paradise - this provides a huge contrast between the torture scene and the scene where Bond regains consciousness. This makes the two scenes seem like hell and heaven. The opening shot of Bond's eyes has intertextuality with other thrillers, such as the infamous shot of Marion Crane's eye in Psycho - this strengthens the film's link with thrillers and the thriller genre.

At the end of the film, a character with spectacles is seen. One glass of his spectacles is blacked out - this immediately tells you he is corrupted by darkness and evil - this tells you how to think of him straight away.

Vesper using her sex appeal to distract the poker players

The film is quite stereotypical is terms of gender. The female characters are often sex symbols - hence the term "Bond girls", while the men are powerful figures - Bond, Le Chiffre, etc. There are exceptions, however. "M" is a powerful female figure who is looked up to. She can even intimidate Bond, and make him back down. Also, the female figures are often strong characters, as well as being sex symbols. e.g. Vesper is a powerful, intelligent agent. She is a great example of a femme fatale - she uses her attraction to manipulate 

people e.g. when she is used in the Casino Royale to distract the players with her beauty. She also tricks everyone at the end by betraying Bond just as you think they are going to set out on a happy life together. This could be a negative female representation, however - she is untrustworthy. Also, her tricks catch up with her, as she dies at the end of the film. The femme fatale is a thriller convention - this again reinforces the film's link to the thriller genre, rather than the action/adventure genre.

Felix - a good representation of black people

Furthermore, most of the black characters in this film are enemies, criminals or bad men. This is a very negative representation of black people. The one exception is Felix - a trustworthy, good-natured character who is a good ally to James Bond in the film. He is a positive representation of black people.

Media Essay

These scanned documents, in order, are:
1. The Question Sheet
2. The Assessment Sheet
3. The Essay
4. The Notes on Psycho I Took into the Exam

Kill Bill Vol. 2 Burial Scene Analysis

This scene from Kill Bill Vol. 2 (directed by Quentin Tarantino, 2004) is a great example of creating a claustrophobic environment. The chiaroscuro lighting created by the torch is the only lighting in the coffin, just like when the spotlights and torches are the only lighting in the sewers of Vienna in "The Third Man". The earlier scene where the Bride is first buried creates a brilliant sense of entrapment, as you see the coffin being sealed and then hear it go into the ground. The darkness that slowly fills that scene, combined with the reactions of the Bride, bring you into the scene and it makes you feel like you are also trapped in the coffin. The screen then goes black, and all you can hear is the dirt falling onto the coffin - in a dark cinema you would feel like the cinema is a coffin - you are trapped inside it.

The music used in the scene prior to the burial, when The Bride fails to assassinate Bill's brother Bud (the person who buries the Bride) is an intertextual reference to the music used in the final duel scene of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly".

Furthermore, the music used in the burial scene shown at the top of this post is also used in this film. A reason why this particular film may be referenced is because the three main characters of Kill Bill are like the title of the referenced film - the Bride is the good, Bill is the bad and Bud, Bill's brother, is the Ugly. They are also having a duel with each other, like in the scene where the music is used in "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly".


The music used in the scene where the Bride escaped the coffin also inspires us to will her on as she escapes - the music tells us that she has a chance - she has a plan. While the scene has aspects of an action-adventure film - the Bride defies gravity as she escapes the coffin - the claustrophobic, gritty nature of the scene where she is trapped inside the coffin makes the scene mostly thriller. The coffin is also a generic thriller location - claustrophobic, dark, and uncomfortable - so much so that other films have been based entirely on this scene. To the right is a film called "Buried", which is entirely about a man who is buried underground and has to find a way out. This is not as suspenseful and well executed as the scene in Kill Bill Vol. 2, as in Kill Bill Vol. 2 there is less connection to the outside world (in "Buried" he has a mobile phone) and you are brought into the Bride's situation more effectively, with lighting and only the diegetic sound of the Bride and the soil falling onto the coffin.

The Third Man (1949, Directed by Carol Reed) Climax Analysis

In this sequence of "The Third Man" (1949), the location, lighting, and other factors contribute to a very effective chase scene. The location of the sewers and the fact that Harry Lime uses them to travel around Vienna relates to his character and the type of crime he has committed (selling watered-down penicillin to hospitals - this is not strong enough and leads to the deaths of many children. This is a dirty, horrible crime - like the dirty, disgusting sewers. He is like a plague rat running through the sewers - he is spreading death and illness to people as he travels. He is also like a wasted human - like the waste in the sewers. The fact that he is running around and hiding in the labyrinthine sewers also makes him like a test or lab rat, trying to escape the maze. Furthermore, as he has plunged into crime, his descent to the sewers reflects that. There is intertextuality here, as this is also done to the extreme in "Kill Bill Volume 2", when the Bride is buried alive. This puts her into a dark, enclosed environment - like the sewers of Vienna.

The lighting in this chase sequence creates brilliant effects - it is a great example of chiaroscuro lighting.


For example, in this shot the chiaroscuro lighting is used as a lighting tool, and for effect. The spotlights are like searchlights, which also refers to the searchlights of the recent Second World War which has greatly damaged Vienna. The lighting also reflects off the wet brick surfaces, to create a very effective shot that completely exposes the criminal, Harry Lime. There is also a vanishing point, where the seekers of Lime are. This makes the vanishing point the end for Harry Lie - his capture awaits there.

In this shot the floodlight is lighting the sewer. The wide area with the floodlight gives a sense of no escape - you cannot hide in this area.Furthermore, the lighting reflects off the water on the walls, floor and cieling to create a mirror effect, which creates illusion and an ominous, creepy look. In addition, this shot contains a clear vanishing point at the source of the light. As Harry Lime is running into the light and the vanishing point, it creates the sense of him running away "into the light". This is a well-known phrase for dying, so this is foresahdowing the end of the scene where Harry Lime does indeed die. Many vanishing points are used in this film for effects such as this e.g. directly after this scene when the enigmatic figure Anna walks past Holly from a clear vanishing point.

Jackie Brown - The Shooting of Melanie - Analysis

At the start of this clip we see the two characters getting out of the van in very stereotypical ways. The man forces his way out, while the woman gently opens the door. This immediately portrays the two characters as individuals and gender stereotypes. Also the van, a Volkswagen camper van, is an icon of it's time period. It is an icon of the 1960's and is a symbol of the "hippie". This, in turn, makes it a symbol of peace, and love. This is very ironic as the people inside the camper van are not peaceful in any way - as we find out in this scene with the sudden death of Melanie.

 The costumes that the characters wear also tell you a lot about them. They are wearing quite dirty, old-looking clothes, which tells us that they have not got a lot of money. This foreshadows the events of the sequence, as the pair steal clothes from the shop. This is further emphasized by the quick shot of Jackie Brown, when we see her in a clean, new-looking suit that makes her look of a high status (as in the opening scene). This creates a clear difference between the people. This happens again when Louis looks over the shop and sees another man dressed in a smart suit.

The shooting of Melanie is shocking and surprising. Usually, deaths (especially in thrillers) happen at night, or in dark and/or secluded, secretive places. The shooting of Melanie in broad daylight breaks this tradition and catches you unaware. This makes the film absorb you as you have no idea what could happen next. It also tells us about Louis' character, as he is quickly provoked into irrational behaviour. This tells us that he is unstable and easily provoked, as well as aggressive. In addition, he calmly walks away from Melanie after he has shot her, making an ironic joke. This tells the audience that he has no problem with committing a murder or a crime - this is emphasized by the stolen clothes he is holding as he walks away.

At the end of the sequence, he drives away in the symbol of "peace and love" (as aforementioned) that is the Volkswagen camper van. This, combined with the ironically happy, upbeat music, creates an ironic end to a shocking, surprising, and humorously ironic scene. 

The Shooting of Beaumont - Jackie Brown (3:33 - 7:42)

The scene that contains the shooting of the character "Beaumont" (the character in the blue shirt) starts with an effective shot of the two characters looking into the boot of the car. The shot used here is a shot used by Quentin Tarantino on several occasions - for example, it is used in Kill Bill and Reservoir Dogs. Robbie (the other character in the black shirt) persuades Beaumont to get into the claustrophobic, trapped area that is the boot of the car. Both the car and the claustrophobic area and stereotypical thriller aspects. As Robbie puts on his black gloves, he foreshadows the death that is coming. This is through the black colour of the gloves, which symbolizes evil and death. In addition to this, the colours of the two characters in this sequence are a contrast that tells you about the characters. The relative "good" character is wearing a bright blue shirt (blue often connotes heroism, such as in the entrance of Harrison Ford in "Witness") and Robbie, the soon-to-be murderer is wearing black (as aforementioned, this connotes death and evil).

Furthermore, the combination of his look backwards towards Beaumont, his smirk, and his careful observation of his gun tells us that he is planning something, likely to be the murder of Beaumont. As he drives into the location of Robie's death, the camera pans out. Robbie then stops the car in a deserted, dark area where no one can witness the crime, gets out and shoots Beaumont. The quick, merciless style of his death makes it stand out more and strike you. The area that it takes part in is another obvious thriller location due to the dark, run-down nature of the location. Also, the long shot and the deserted location show that Robbie is far away from society and the community.

Jackie Brown - Opening Scene Analysis

The opening sequence to "Jackie Brown" is an excellent piece of film production that immediately draws you into the film. The static shot of the woman (Jackie Brown) against the moving background makes her look like she is gliding along, without any resistance. This makes her look like a powerful, dominant figure. Also the lack of emotion shown by her means that you do not connect much with her character immediately - this also makes you unsure of her character. This also give her a sense of power.

When she is striding through the airport, her large strides combined with the low angle shots reinforce the sense of power that Jackie Brown has. Also, as she walks in a straight, direct path with nobody and nothing obstructing it, this further backs up her powerful look.

Another important part of this opening scene is the soundtrack. The lyrics at the start can reflect her job - the lyrics "trying to break out of....a day-to-day fight" can tell us that she might not be entirely happy with her job or status. It also tells us that she is someone who is ambitious and is fighting to be more than an average person.

Image Analysis - "Thelma and Louise" - Ridley Scott (1991)

Location:
The shot is in a car park - this is a generic thriller location. The look of the car park tells us that it is set in the past, not modern day (2011). This is due to the signs in the background.

Lighting:
The lighting in this shot is non-ambient (from a light source outside the shot). The light reflects on one side of the woman with the gun's face, and combined with the expression on her face, it makes her look crazy and dangerous. This gives the feeling that she is the one in control in this shot. In addition, the light reflects off of the gun and makes it stand out in the shot. This makes it the focus of the shot, and forces people to see it and the danger it brings.

Camera Angle:
This is a medium close-up shot. The man suddenly looks vulnerable - his power has been taken away and he now looks weak and cowardly.

Representation of Gender:
The representation of gender in this shot is not stereotypical like in many other films. In this shot the roles have been reversed, and the woman is the one in power (the femme fatale, possibly). The man is the one who is restrained, cornered, and defenceless. This is interesting as seconds before this the man is asserting his power over the other woman in the shot (the one without the gun). The roles and stereotypes have been instantaneously reversed.

Intertextuality:
This shot shows the woman in power - this challenges gender stereotypes. This is like in Quentin Tarantino's films, like "Kill Bill Volume 1 + 2" as the woman is powerful and independently strong.

Essex Boys (2000, directred by Terry Winsor) Opening Analysis

At the start of Essex Boys the title sequence is turned directly into the start of the opening scene where the garage opens. This is done by using a white line of the titles and turning it into the small light from under the garage door. Outside the garage is a light - chiaroscuro lighting - which is a clear point of focus. The chiaroscuro lighting connotes illusion or nightmare - it is foreshadowing the nature of the upcoming events. The dark nature of this first shot immediately tells us that this film is a noir thriller - the dark environment and indications of threat and corruption are shown immediately. This dark feel gives the film intertextuality with the similar dark feel of "Fight Club" and "The Matrix".

The garage is a claustrophobic, enclosed space where there would be little chance of escape. In thrillers things can happen behind closed garage doors-it is a stereotypical thriller location. When the lights in the garage turn on, they reveal webs and filth in the garage. This is like the state of Essex in this film - there is hidden dirt and darkness underneath due to the crime, etc.

Shot of the garage, which is lit by a chiaroscuro light

There is a non-diegetic voiceover from Billy, but unlike Animal Kingdom (which contains a voiceover from "J"), it is from Billy's point of view. As well as this, there is also diegetic sound used for realism. When Billy looks through the windscreen (POV shot), you see Jason Locke. The shot through the windscreen immediately connotes many things about Jason. Seeing his strong figure through the windscreen shows that he is intimidating and threatening. Furthermore, the fact that you see him through a dirty, grimy windscreen (a medium close-up is used) tells us that he has had a dark, criminal history. He has a leather jacket and a "loud" shirt - like in the opening scene of "Kill Bill Volume 1", this tells us about his personality. Like "Bill", who has an expensive watchand a fancy handkerchief (with "Bill" written on it) he is obviously very vain. The lighting in this shot is also focused on him, making him stand out and making him look even more powerful.

The intimidating figure of Jason shot through the grimy windscreen

When Billy is talking, his Essex accent is a cultural signifier. Adding to the dark, grimy mood that has already been shown in the opening seconds, the landscape outside is bleak. In addition, there is an unglamorous feel to the film so far.

When the car, driven by Billy and containing Jason, is travelling through the tunnel there is a clear vanishing point. This gives the feeling that Billy is going through the tunnel and falling off a cliff into a different world or dimension - Jason's criminal world. In addition to this, the tunnel looks like the barrel of a gun, which foreshadows future events in the film and also adds to the sense of travelling into a different, dark, criminal world. Also, the POV shot through the tunnel makes it feel like a confined space where you are trapped and unable to escape from where you are going - into the criminal world. Furthermore, there is a "STOP" and "Stay in Lane" sign at the two sides of the tunnel. This is another symbol that tells you Billy should not be travelling into this new world - the signs are telling him to stop and turn back.

The shot of Billy driving with the connotive bars of light on his windscreen

The lighting on the windscreen here is very effective - there are bars of light scrossing the windscreen like prison bars (another sign of the different life he is going into). Jason's bright, "loud", attention-gaining top in this scene also adds to his vanity.

"Witness" Murder Scene Analysis - Peter Weir, 1985

The opening murder scene from "Witness" starts with the Amish boy looking up at an angelic statue. It then cuts to an over-the-shoulder shot of the angel looking down-this gives the feeling that the angels are looking down on him, and watching over him. The costume of the Amish boy is also very important. The Amish look stands out clearly in the station, and isolates him as the minority group. Also his hat looks like a halo above his head. This supports the heavenly theme and makes him look innocent.

The shot in the station that shows only the Amish boy and his Mother (a bad, stereotypical representation of a woman - a single mother who seems quite vulnerable) is a vital shot. The angle at which it is shot makes a vanishing point. The Vanishing point, which leads to the murder location, looks like a hostile environment which should be avoided. This is emphasized by the darker lighting in that area of the shot. Having the Amish Mother and son all on their own adds to the aforementioned feeling of them being a minority group. This makes them look very vulnerable. When the boy goes off to the toilet it shows that the mother is naive - she doesn't realise the treat of sending a little boy to a public toilet as the Amish community is a trusting community that does not usually come under great threat.

When in the toilet, the different camera shots tell us a lot about the characters. There are high low angle shots of the men which makes them look important, and the size of the boy makes him seem very vulnerable. Also, the environment is dank, dark, and claustrophobic-a classic thriller location. There is ambient lighting of the toilet. When the boy goes into the toilet he does not lock the door-again, this shows how trusting he is. The narrow opening also shows us that he can see the man washing himself over the sink. This is reinforced by the point of view shot through the door which shows the man washing himself over the sink. however it also shows that he cannot see everything-he cannot see the black man. The actual murder is mainly shown from the Amish boy's point of view. All of the shots are either close up shots of the head and shoulders of the characters or simple shots e.g. of the boy's hands. The close ups show the importance of the characters and their facial expressions, and the other shots show things that are vital to the scene and it's feel.

When the toilet cubicles are being searched, the shot of the black man's feet and the cubicles banging is a very well-constructed shot. The banging of the cubicles is getting nearer and nearer to the boy, and the tension is built up brilliantly. The close up shots of the boy locking the door are simple and effective as the subtle motion of the boy continues to build up the tension.

When the boy makes his escape from the toilet cubicle, the moment where he drops his hat is very important. As the hat is like a halo, its is like he has lost his innocence because of what he has witnessed. Then, when the murderer - a black man (this is a bad representation of black men - the black man is the enemy, the villain, the bad one) enters the toilet, colour is very important. The colour of his suit is a dirty, muddy brown colour like the toilet he is in, and his red tie signifies blood and violence. Straight after this, he stands up in the toilet in a shape like a crucifix-this shows him as a Christ figure. When he stands up here it is also the first time we see him without his hat (halo)-and innocence.

There is then a great cut to the policeman outside in the station. This scene starts with Harrison Ford, the hero figure, coming out of a light blue-lit doorway. The blue lighting immediately makes us think he is the hero of the film. This is because light blue is a colour associated with good. The light blue also makes us think he is a policeman-again, this is due to the light blue colour being associated with the Police.

Thrillers I Have Seen that Could be Potential Case Studies:

1. Quantum of Solace/Casino Royale: These films contain elements of both thriller and action adventure films. The fact that they are quite gritty and realistic most of the time means that they do classify as thriller films. They have classic enemies, mystery, dark and gloomy environments, etc.
2. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: A dark, sinister underlying mystery and tension mean that this film is a pure, great thriller. It has all the aspects of a thriller film: dark locations, a mystery, a fitting soundtrack, a femme fatale, etc.
3. Animal Kingdom: This is a very effective, gritty thriller. It was one of my favourite films of 2011.
4. Psycho: This noir thriller is one of the best, if not the best, of it's genre. Even now it is more tense and effective than most thrillers.
5. Spooks: This modern thriller TV series was original and hard-hitting - you were constantly surprised, as it did not worry about killing off major characters.

This is the opening scene from "Kill Bill Volume 1" which starts with a diegetic soundbridge to immediately make the audience tense, frightened and thrilled. Because of this, the audience is absorbed by the film straight away. It is a brilliant example of a thriller's opening scene. This is because of effective camera shots like the one that tracks th footsteps of "Bill". It also ends on a great cliffhanger, while also clearly stating the enemy and victim/hero of the scene, and whole film. It also contains excellent acting and an element of fear. The fear comes from the woman's bloody face and her obvious trauma, the sinister man, the dark, gritty feel of the scene and the gunshot at the end. The use of black and white is very effective in this scene. It shows that the scene is a memory or flashback, it makes it look better (as the many colours would look messy and unorganized in full colour), and contributes to the dark, gritty feel of the scene.