Location- Shot in a car park which is ordinary place making the events which are happening seem more dramatic and realistic. You can where it is from just seeing this screen shot because first of all there is a van in the background. This is a generic location for a thriller film as car parks can sometimes be claustrophobic closed in places as seen in Essex Boys. This creates tension as it might make the character feel trapped as if there is no way out.
Characters- This shot shows a dominant women holding a gun up to a less powerful man. This changes the normal female stereotype and shows her standing up for herself and how she's not being pushed around by a man. This is similar to the female characters in Kill Bill who also play dominant aggressive roles who stand up for themselves. Quentin Tarentino shows how fierce and brave women can be in that film, where they are not afraid to strike revenge.
Lighting- Non-ambient lighting is shown in this shot which adds fear and suspense as it is not natural light meaning that it isn't shot in a public place so therefore sinister events can occur more easily. This lighting is also shown in Essex Boys creating a frightful atmosphere to a normal place. You focus on the barrel of the gun in this shot because the light reflects on to it, this is done to draw your attention to it and to signify its importance to the scene.
Camera angle- A medium close up of both of the characters is shown, a close up shot is particularly used so the audience can see both characters facial expressions and reactions to what's happening. This enables the audience to establish with the characters, as you get to know the female character in this shot as a dominant powerful women, whereas from his facial expression you see the male character as criminal, as he looks annoyed that he has been caught. The female character is taking up most of this shot which also signifies her importance and power, she is taking control over the man instead of him feeling in control which he shows in the scenes before hand.
Made in 2000, Essex Boys is based around the events in 1995 of the murders of three drug dealers. This film displays great conventions of a thriller film with particular shots which would be good inspiration of what to put in a thriller opening. With opening credits of the actors names with sinister lines scratching on the screen in different directions giving off an eerie feel to it already without the film properly starting. The first shot shows a man walking into a dismal garage which opens as the shot begins with a car in it. Chiaroscuro lighting is used to connote the point of focus this gives of the illusion sense of a nightmare. Noir lighting is used to firstly show the theme of the film and also it could be used to pay tribute to other older thrillers made which incorporate noir lighting, for example the film The Maltese Falcon made in 1941 and considered to be the very first film noir.
Located in a dingy ancient looking garage which is a very claustrophobic space as well making it seem even more grim and somewhere you wouldn't really like to go, it also makes you feel as if your behind closed doors, this shows a sense of ambiguity to the film. The first bit of dialogue you hear is the voice over of one of the main characters Billy, this gives the audience a chance to warm to him as they would feel he's talking to them and as it is from his point of view it allows them to get to know him as a character. The location of this film is shown through cultural signifiers, for example road signs the voice over of the opening to this film shows Billy's Essex accent which connects to the title of the film and enables the audience to get to know him more.
The next shot is a medium close up revealing a new character (Jason) we see him through a dirty car windscreen and he has a shadow across half of his face which could signify two parts to his personality, maybe one part is menacing. It is a point of view shot as the camera is positioned where Billy is sitting in the car so you can see what's happening though his eyes. He's shown wearing a leather jacket and rather striking shirt, showing that this character is rather arrogant, this is similar to the character Bill in Kill Bill, so compares well with his character.
We then see a point of view shot of the car with the only characters we've been shown so far driving through a dark tunnel. The car looks as though it is driving through a confined space as it is a long shot making the car seem smaller. As the car goes further into the tunnel the tunnel starts to resemble the barrel of a gun, which also relates to the genre of this film as it shows stereotypical crime aspects. Another element of this shot which nearly tells you something bad is going to happen is the 'STAY IN LINE' writing on the ground which is almost telling Billy to stay where they are and not go on any further. There is also two stops signs on either side of the tunnel as they are about to approach it which is almost blocking them from entering, making the tunnel seem like a dangerous path for them to take.
There is a brilliant medium shot of the character we were first introduced to (Billy), it shows the light from the tunnel reflecting in the shape of prison bars on to the windscreen. This shot is significant as it is showing that Billy is being introduced into the criminal world, it gives the audience an idea of what may happen to these characters and what kind of people they might be.
This shot shows that Billy is overlooking everything that's happening, he is watching behind the windscreen of the van which shows the comparison of the two characters. The white van adds to the fear of the scene as it implies that anything could happen and then disguised in the back of the van, this adds a sense of mystery to the events. Billy's character compares to the character Josh in Animal Kingdom, as like Billy he knows about all these crimes his friends and family are committing around him, yet he's not actively changing it but neither is he joining in and become a part of them.
The audience get to see the attack happening through Billy's point of view this lets the audience connect with the character and see everything through his eyes. It also makes the scene more realistic as you feel that your there too experiencing the events. This is a good shot to use in a thriller as the fact it is a point of view shot creates suspense because you feel like your their witnessing the crime which adds to the fear of it.
The next scene is located at Essex marshes, the location shows what a violent, dangerous man Jason is as he has not only seriously hurt the victim but has found a remote location to dump him on. This scene shows Jason's moral bankruptcy as the fact that he dumps this seriously injured man off in a grim isolated place with no care at all shows what kind of character he is. As soon as the man from the back of the van tries to escape Jason continues to beat him up even more whilst shouting at him. To finish this violent attack off, he pushes the man into dirty water, this shows his lack of empathy and morals. The landscape is bleak and desolate, it also very isolated meaning that it would take a long time for this man to be found. Dreary colours are shown in this landscape as if anything good about it has been washed out, it is also very dead looking which could signify that it is a dangerous place to be. This is a generic location for Thrillers, it has all the aspects of what you would expect a thriller to have in it. It contrasts to the end scene in Heavenly Creatures where it is filmed in a bright, appealing location, making the murder seem even worse because you wouldn't expect something like that to happen there.
Terry Windosr utilises thriller conventions in a variety of ways in this shot, first of all the location is a big signifier of a typical thriller convention. The dreariness of the location shows the audience straight away that this is a crime thriller. It shows an old unused car which is filthy that Billy has to fight his way through. Diegetic sound is shown through this scene as you hear the sound of the garage door, and the car starting, this makes the scene more realistic and adds suspense.
The brightest source of light in this image is the street light situated next to Billy this is chiaroscuro lighting which is featured in most thriller films. This lighting gives an more eerie feel to the film This shot from the film The Big Sleep shows perfectly noir lighting often added to newer thrillers.
Based on a true story, this film is a a biopic which is about two young girls (Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme) who conspire to kill Paulines mothers when she tries to end and interferes with their intense, obsessive relationship. This is the murder scene showing great shots which show a lot of thriller conventions, for example a lot of close ups on the time. For example before they all go out there is a close up on the clock in their house, as time is a very important factor, as when there is a crime happening the police always like to know what time it happened so the clock then symbolises that a crime is going to happen. Another factor of this clip which adds to suspense is that when they are walking it is in slight slow motion showing a dream like feel to what’s happening, this makes you feel that it is unrealistic. It also shocks you as you then think is this really happening? You know something awful is about to happen by the intensity of it, you can see in the girls faces that they are going to do something horrific and your just waiting for it to happen. Peter Jackson creates a lot of suspense in the finale of this film as it looks as though they are having a normal walk but really it is building up to a climax, which is the brutal murder.
The location of this film is somewhat glamorous compared to most thrillers as instead of the normal dreary and dismal locations displayed it shows the beautiful landscape of Christchurch which adds to the authenticity of the film. It’s not a stereotypical thriller location meaning that it contrasts to other thrillers and makes this film more chilling as you wouldn't expect a murder to happen there which adds ambiguity. This location also challenges generic conventions as it turns something lyrical, which is the beautiful scenery and sound of birds singing in the background, to a rather diabolical place when you then hear the angry screams of both of the girls. The place where they go for a walk has very narrow pathways showing that there mother is trapped with them and won't be able to escape, this adds to the fear as the audience can see how in danger there mother is. There is the shot which shows the narrow pathway there mother is going to take, this shows that there is no going back for the three characters. T
Continual close up shots of all the characters feet are shown throughout there walk to symbolise the importance of the journey they are about to embark upon. Not only are they physically going on a journey but they are mentally as they are changing from being innocent school girls to being murderers, challenging the stereotypes of how young girls should act.
The character Honora Parker Rieper is shown in the mise-en-scene with a bright light reflected onto her face, this indicates her importance to what is going to happen. I think this is a great shot to signify a characters importance and is a good shot to use in a thriller, as it not only shows the audience that something significant is going to happen with that character, but it also shows that character as being innocent. This is represents religion as if someone was to go to heaven you picture a bright light coming down on them, so this could symbolise her death as some people may say you go to heaven when you die, so maybe this a clue that her death or something dreadful is about to happen.
A close up of Juliets hands held together is shown to show that she is nervous about the events about to unfold, and signifies that she may be unsure about whether she is about to do the right thing. The soundtrack played throughout their walk is called "The intermezzo" from Puccinis opera "Madam Butterfly". This specific soundtrack may have been use as it shows lyricism which counteracts with the brutality of what happens in the finale. It adds a lot of suspense to the clip as well as it goes perfectly with the scenery and builds up the tension of what's about to happen, as although the audience will suspect something awful to happen, the sudden contrast in sound may shock them.
Peter Weir has used many thriller conventions throughout this clip to establish what genre this film is and to give an effective tense and fearful scene that you would expect a thriller to have.
Camera shots+movement An opening shot of a medium close up of the young Amish boy which is also a slightly low angle shot showing his importance to the film and how important he will be. Cuts to a panning shot of the statue where the camera is where the boy is, looking up at the statue showing him a new culture from what he is used to. It is a low angle which shows how significant the religious statue is.The cut between the statue and child shows the child's curiosity and admiration towards the statue and life in general.Cuts to a high angle shot of the station showing the child's vulnerability and how insignificant and alone he seems to be. The rule of thirds is incorporated in this as it shows straight away what part of the shot the audience would be most strongly drawn towards first. Cut to a long shot of the child and his mother to establish where they are, they are sitting alone in the station showing how isolated and different they are, as it is so empty it suggests something threatening will happen making them seem vulnerable. The shot shows a vanishing point where you don't quite know where it leads to, the child then walks towards the vanishing point showing how he is a brave character as he is very young and is walking around a deserted station alone. Cut to a close up shot of a new character from a low angle showing that this character has significance to the film. A shot of the child is shown in the gap between the door showing that he is able to see what is going which builds up the suspense. There is a close up of the child's eyes to show he's been watching everything that's happening. Each shot only really shows the characters head and shoulders so the audience can see their reactions to what is happening and there expressions, particularly the young boy when witnessing the murder. When the attack is happening you only see it from the child's point of view meaning that you don't see everything that happens which builds up the tension and adds to the fear of it. A close up shot of the boys hands frantically locking the door is then shown then cuts to him standing without his hat on suggesting a Christ figure as his arms are positioned like a crucifix would look which shows the significance of religion and culture in this film. Cut to a shot of the police man and then the iconic entrance of Harrison Ford a well known actor and a main character in this film, he enters surrounded by people showing his importance to the film.
Sound Non-diegetic sound begins this scene as there is a soundtrack playing first of all this cuts to no sound but a dialogue which is diegetic sound which is known as normal background noises, for example footsteps. There is no music playing and as it is then diegetic sound this makes it more realistic so adds suspense. When the man is being attacked there is no dialogue meaning there is non-diegetic sound, this makes the scene more dramatic. Also non-diegetic sound is used in that particular moment because dialogue would be a distraction to what's going on and wouldn't be needed to add to the fear of it. There is then a shot of the man's feet as he is opening the toilet doors during this non diegetic and diegetic sound is used to increase the tension and to build up an intimidating atmosphere.
Lighting Ambiant lighting is used in this scene which is non-artificial lighting to show how grim the station is as it is low saturation showing washed out colours making the location seem more eerie. When an important character enters the colour blue is in the background which shows he will be a good character as blue is symbolic as being dependable and trustworthy.
Mise-en-scene The young boy's costume first of all shows that his family have a traditional life as he wears Amish clothes, also he wears a hat which looks like a halo showing his innocence in the film. The location is a very empty nearly deserted train station which is fearful, but although it is just a normal place people would visit daily that makes it more threatening as you wouldn't normally expect something frightening to occur there. In the murder scene, the toilets are filthy and are a claustrophobic unglamorous place. One of the murderers is wearing a suit which matches the dreary disgusting colour of the toilets showing how worthless he is, however his tie is bright red signifying danger as it resembles the colour of blood.
Representation This film shows a big representation of gender as the traditional mother stereotype is portrayed in the boys mother and in contrast the men have the high careers showing that there is sexism still going on as they are seen to be more important than women. There is also a negative representation in this film of race, as traditional views still stand as early on in the film there is a black man who is one of the murderers.
Characters- This shot shows a dominant women holding a gun up to a less powerful man. This changes the normal female stereotype and shows her standing up for herself and how she's not being pushed around by a man. This is similar to the female characters in Kill Bill who also play dominant aggressive roles who stand up for themselves. Quentin Tarentino shows how fierce and brave women can be in that film, where they are not afraid to strike revenge.
