Essex Boys analysis

                           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.