In this research task I'm going to identify similar themes

and styles relating to the thriller genre in three similar texts.

In this textual analysis I will be looking at the camera-work,

mise en scene, lighting, sound, editing and stylistic

features. I will apply this to three main analysis points

which include how the narrative has been set up, how the

characters are introduced/represented and how the film

genre is established. The three texts I'm going to be looking

at is American History X, Rear Window and Full Metal

Jacket. I will apply this new found research and knowledge

so I could produce a more conventional thriller opening

sequence which clearly has an overarching theme and

style.

The first opening sequence I have chosen to analyse is from

American History X which was released in 1998 and directed by

Tony Kaye. This film is described mainly as a Drama with Crime

elements on imdb.com but it does however contain thriller

elements as crime is closely relate to this. The movie is rated as

a 15 by the BBFC for its historical and educational value for

audiences learning about racial discrimination. I have chosen to

analyse this opening sequence because suspense is used

throughout which is conventional of the thriller genre. I will be

focusing more on this particular opening sequence compared to

the other two as I believe that this one is the most conventional

of the thriller genre and I should have a greater understanding of

this particular opening sequence because of it.

The clip I will be analysing:

In this sequence a location is established by the initial use of camera work and audio.

This sequence begins with point of view shot from a car to convey the idea that this is an American town/city. Shortly after this, there is a close up of a character with the audio in the background suggesting it's people having sex. This helps the audience understand also that it would be based in a house area.

The two main characters are established through the use of dialogue and the particular character which are focused on.

Although all three characters speak in this opening sequence, Only Danny and Derek, the two brothers, have the majority of the dialogue, This gives the idea that these two are the main characters of the movie as they're more important. Additionally, only Derek's and Danny's reaction and actions are focused on making the audience know even further who are the main characters. This is done through close ups and tracking shots of the two characters.

We can understand that the two main characters are currently being burgled due to the editing and composition of shots.

The use of continuous editing to the three men in the cars approaching the house let the audience understand that they're unaware of being burgled . It's also done to build suspense and makes the audience feel worried for the outcome of the encounter. The continuous editing between the two scenarios also allow the audience to understand that both scenarios are happening at the same time. The composition of shots also allows the audience mean they're less confused about the narrative.

The first glimpse we're given of Danny is showing him as innocent.

The idea of sleeping is generally considered tranquil and innocent by society, which juxtaposes with the other actions that is happening in his close vicinity. This is done to make Danny seem more like a victim to what is happening around making the audience sympathies with him. The use of a close up emphasises this.

The first glimpse we're given of Derek is showing him as dominant.

Derek is firstly shown to be having sexual intercourse with another women and consider the strong use of audio, it gives the impression that he is a powerful and intimidating character. This is done to foreshadow the idea that Derek will do something significant or radical to the burglars.

Props are used to make Derek seem intimidating and a threat to society and others.

This is done through the use of the swastika gives the impression that Derek is a neo-Nazi and a menace to a society with his racist attitude. This gives the idea that he would do extremely severe things to the black burglars that are trying to steal his car. The gun also shows his dominance.

Music is used to build suspense throughout the opening

sequence.

The music featuring similar music ideas used in the

opening sequence

The music generally expresses the intensity of the actions

happening on screen which thrills the audience. This is

clearly conventional to the thriller genre making it easily

recognisable that this movie takes elements of thriller

movies.

Lighting is used to make the opening sequence more dramatic and intense.

The low-key lighting makes the action seem concealed from the audience making them be more suspicious of what is happening and the idea that everything is not quite as it seems. It also makes the audience question who is the desired protagonist of this opening sequence as hero's are generally shown with bright colours and lighting, but because of the lighting, the audience cannot be sure of who it is.

Overall I've learned that this movie introduces character which perhaps are not too conventional for an opening sequence. Firstly, this introduction of main characters goes against Propp's theory that there would be a clearly laid out hero, which this movie does not contain. Besides this, characters are introduced quite well with the audience having a basic understanding of their characteristics. The narrative and events goes against Toderov's narrative theory that there is 4 parts with the first one saying it should be peaceful at the start, which is rather the opposite to this opening sequence, with it being dramatic and intense. This opening sequence still however entice the viewer and makes them want to watch more.

The Genre is established initially as a Thriller, but later turns in to a drama and a crime, which contain very similar conventions but in context of only the opening sequence, it's more of a thriller. This is shown through the use of low key lighting to make the action more dramatic and intense. The action and narrative of a burglary and a violent exchange are also quite conventional of the thriller genre. The crime genre is shown through how the Derek is committing a crime which is considered illegal (voluntary man-slaughter). The music is also extremely suspenseful which is suspected in thriller movies.

I found the use of little emphasis on the protagonist makes the audience more thought provoked about the action is happening, making more historical and objective than other movies as the audience can think clearly for themselves for who is right and wrong in this situation. I found the rather intimate and gratuitous actions was surprising as it makes Derek almost seem like an anti-hero and not justified in his actions.

I intend to apply the use of low-key lighting to make the scenes more dramatic and intense to link my own production more to the thriller genre. I also might apply the idea of not to identify a protagonist initially in the opening sequence to make it more mysterious and thought provoking.

The second movie I’ve chosen to analyse is Stanley

Kubrick’s ‘Full Metal Jacket’ which was released in 1994.

I’ve decided to instead analysing the opening sequence,

I’m going to do the scene in which Private Pyle losses his

mind and kills the drill sergeant and himself. I’ve decided

this as this scene contains the most thriller conventions in

the movie and because the opening sequence does not

create suspense but rather give context to the scenarios

the characters are in. According to IMDB this movie goes

under the genres of drama and war, but considering there

similarity to the thriller genre, I feel as if this movie is still

appropriate to analyse. However, according to filmsite.org

this movie’s genre is thriller and that this is actually the 95th

best thriller movie ever.

The scene starts off with the audience also immediately understand that the actions that are going to be taking place are going to be very suspenseful and dramatic through the use of low-key lighting and music.

This gives the audience this feeling as theses techniques are quite typical in films to evoke these particular emotions. Additionally, subtle sounds are used in the background during this beginning shot to indicate that there is more happening that the protagonist is not particularly aware of. The narrative is explained through the main protagonists narration about what he’s doing and why he is in this situation. This is done so the audience have a better understanding.

You can understand the location of this scene due to visual aids through the background, costume and visual aids.

As this location is already well known to the viewer before this scene not much understanding in this respect is needed but some are still used. The background has a rows of bunk beds which are typical of a boot camp during the Vietnam war. The main protagonist also has a helmet one which was also something done when someone was on fire-watch. Large emphasis is also brought on to the door names ‘Drill Instructor’ and ‘Head’. This is done so the audience can have a rough mental map of how the building is structured and also to understand the location is a boot camp.

Private Joker is established as a curious and worried character.

This is done his use of confusion through his facial expression when he hears a distant sound coming from the ‘head’. He directs his flashlight towards the drill sergeant door suggesting that what he is about to do is not against the rules but his inquisitive nature makes it seem go in to head anyway. This is emphasised through his slow and sceptical way he opens the door. The use of dialogue also shows that he is worried and scared as his voice is of a higher pitch than in previous and later scenes. You can just tell by the tone of his voice generally and his posture around Private Pyle show this. This is done to show that even after vigorous army training, they’re not bred killers and still suffer from normal human emotions. This makes the audience give pity and care more for this character.

Private Pyle is introduced as a mentally disturbed character.

This is done through the audio and camera angles. Pyle breathes heavily throughout this scene and has a real severity to his voice which are common themes relating to crazy people. This makes sure the audience is well aware of his mental state and some-what fear him. The camera angles used are low angle shots which makes him more intimidating and eye level shots which make the audience feel as if he’s talking right to them and be scared of him.

The thriller genre is established through the use of music and lighting.

The music is quite atmospheric and correlates with what is happening on screen (builds up in volume when tension is getting high). This is quite typical of the thriller genre as it’s used to create another layer of suspense which is done in this scene. The use of low-key lighting also adds to this moody setting. This is typical of the thriller genre as low-key lighting is used to make the situation seem more dramatic.

From this I’ve learned that particular subtleties given by the actor and the camera angles can add to the way they’re portrayed. I might be able to apply this in my own production to make them seem as if they a deeper meaning and so I can clearly give the audience more information about who they and what they are like.

Additionally, I can understand that the narrative, even when the setting Is well established, information should still be given about the location. I could apply this knowledge to my own production to make sure that the audience have a clear understanding of the narrative throughout.

I can also understand that the lighting is almost an intrinsic part in creating a dramatic and suspenseful atmosphere. I would apply this type of lighting therefore in my production in a tense moment to make it more dramatic. I’ve also learned that Music can add a lot to a tense scene and bring more awareness to some actions. I might be able to apply these ideas in mine by choosing or composing appropriate music which would go well and help create tension.

With this movie being directed by Stanley Kubrick I

understood that many pioneering or interesting techniques

will be used. In this particular scene, I found that the

cinematography and angles are chosen are quite odd and

not typical shots such as the eye level shot when someone

is meant to be portrayed as scary. I also found the use of

music that’s conscious of what’s happening and how it

gains and loses volume and texture in respect of how tense

the situation is.

• Toderov- For the specific scene, I would appear that it does follow his theory of narrative. The scene starts with Joker just being lookout which is quite normal. This is then disrupted by sounds coming from the head and Pyle being with a gun threatening Joker and killing the drill sergeant. Balance is quite morbidly restored after this with Pyle killing himself. The different equilibrium is introduced in the next scene with Joker being in Vietnam.

• Propp’s- This scene and generally this movie does not follow this theory of how there’s basic characters to carry on the narrative. This is not done in this movie as it somewhat making a social comment of if war is justified and if there’s actually an enemy, and if so is it themselves? This is seen in this scene with Pyle not really having any villain attributes and is just mentally disturbed. He’s also not really an anti-hero as the audience understand his situation and symphyses with him. The drill sergeant is suspected and trained to be this harsh on the marines so he’s in some respect not a villain or any other type of character. Joker is however quite noticeable the hero but he does not do any heroic actions but rather kills Vietnamese which is not a very admirable or heroic action.

• Levi-Strauss: The theory of binary opposites does also

not apply for this movie as the characters and actions

have no real opposites, they’re all the same. This is done

for the same reason it does not follows Propp’s theory

and that is to make a social comment about war.

This 1954 Alfred Hitchcock directed classic is considered a

cornerstone of the thriller genre. Hitchcock also known as

the ‘master of suspense’ made several thriller films

throughout his filmography with this one considered the

14th bet ever thriller film by filmsite.org. It is also

acknowledged by IMDB as a thriller and mystery film. I’ve

chosen the analyse this particular opening sequence as it

doesn’t particularly excite or create tension at the beginning

but gives context to possibilities and tension and thrilling

scenes later on. I’ve decided to do this so I have a greater

understanding of how thriller movies can be open without

immediately creating suspense.

In this film the narrative is barely set up as this opening sequence is taken up mostly by no dialogue and tracking shots. It does however give visual aids to help the audience understands what is happening and why the main protagonist is in the situation he’s in. This is done through images use of props such as a wheel which allows the audience to understand that the protagonist is going to be in this one location for a while. The use of a broken camera also allows the audience to understand that he’s in this situation because of an accident he was in while trying to take a photo. This is done so the audience are not completely confused and lost for why he’s in his situation before it’s actually explained to the viewer. The use of foreshadowing might have been done to make the viewer feel more clever and interpretive of props and objects.

Many characters are seen but considering how quickly

they’re shown, the audience can understand that not all of

them have an integral part in the film. You can understand

however that Jeff is quite frustrated and bored. This is

shown his facial expressions and posture when is sitting on

his wheelchair. The reason he is doing nothing also

suggests this. The audience can also understand that this

is quite the opposite to his normal life as the pictures shows

that he is been to many places and witnessed many

exciting events. This is done to keep the audience in

anticipation some-what of what is to come and to develop

the character through his backstory.

This opening sequence does not particularly do this even

though it Is considered a thriller. This opening sequence

just gives context and backstory and saves the climatic bits

for later In the movie. This opening sequence focuses more

on the cinematography with a long continuous shot used to

show the long location. This although not considered very

genre specific, it is used sometimes to create suspense as

it brings emphasis to the actors actions and skill which

makes us more aware in some cases the pressure they’re

under. You could argue however that the intro has very

bright lighting and little to no thriller effects to deter from the

conventions to make it more original.

I’ve learned that the narrative does not necessarily have to be introduced with dialogue but can be done with visual aids and props. This can also be done to portray some of the characteristics of the protagonist. Additionally, the genre doesn’t particularly need to be established in the opening sequence to make a more original film. I couldn’t however apply this type of introduction in my thriller opening sequence as it would never really be that disguisable what my genre would be as I’m limited to 3 minutes. I found the use of a long and continuous shot as surprising as doing this would been very hard and is a masterful showing of cinematography. I might be able to apply this idea on a smaller scale in my opening sequence. This opening sequence seems to apply some for the reception theory as the use of props and the actions of the other characters could all be interpreted by the viewer and has no literal meaning.