Thriller Movie Poster

Basic glossary of cinematography terms

Mise-en-scene is everything on screen. This is both the digetic and non-digetic sound, cinematography, editing and any props or costumes that are used.

 

Costumes/props: physicals objects and things that are used to achieve an effect.

Editing: the use of software to manipulate the original film and order them in a way that makes sense.

Cinematography: how the shot is laid out eg lighting

Digetic music: dialogue and sound effects; things that the characters can hear.

Non-digetic music: soundtracks and other sounds that the viewer can hear but the characters can't.

 

Low-angle shot: shot is taken from below. This gives the subject a sense of authority or power.

High-angle shot: gives the subject a sense of helplessness, or a lack of authority.

Trading shot: Camera follows action on a trolley. This gives a sense of speed to the action.

Pan: The camera moves from left to right. This gives a sense of movement or speed

Tilt: Camera pans up and down. Gives a sense of size.

Shot types

Shot types

Extreme long shot

Extreme long shots are taken to show the surrounding and to establish a location. They can show the scale of the action, and there is no distinct subject.

 

Long shot

 

The subject takes up almost the full frame. These can be used to show a subject in action.

 

Mid (medium) shot

 

This shot type is useful if someone is talking as it allows room for hand gestures; it is like seeing a full person.

 

Medium close shot

 

This shot type shows the face without getting uncomfortably close. This style is often used in interviews.

 

Close-up

 

This shot shows a certain feature in detail. It is used to show emotional state.

 

Extreme close-up

This shot shows extreme detail and is uncomfortably close to the subject. These shots are difficult to get the correct reaction from the audience, and so there needs to be a very good reason to use one.

 

Cut away

This is a view something that is not part of the action, they can be used to make the editing seem more natural between scenes.

 

Two shot

 

This is used to show an equal prominence between two subjects and relationships between two subjects.

 Over the shoulder shot

 

This is shot over someone's shoulder, with the shoulder taking up about one third of the screen. It shows a connection between two people and how close they are.    

 

Noddy shot

This is often used in interviews and makes the editing seem more natural and makes the person talking feel less boring to watch. These are filmed after the interview.

POV shot

This shows someone's point of view. Usually, it is edited in a way so it is obvious whose POV it is. It gives the watcher an emotional connection with the character.

 

Controlled/Dutch angle shot

The camera is not angled straight towards the subject. There is a sense of being out the ordinary, and can be used to show a dream sequence, or something out of the ordinary.

Zoom in/out

 

Can highlight important or significant object to the audience.

 

Steadicam

The camera moves with the action, it gives the viewer a sense of realism and can be used to add excitement.

Crane shot

Single high angle. It gives a sense of size and scale.

 

Aerial shot

The camera is in a plane or helicopter. It gives a sense of location or size.

 

 

Conventions of the Thriller genre (Summer homework)

Conventions of the thriller genre

 

Thrillers make use of horror and action to create tension in a film. The audience's emotions and feelings are “controlled”, often subliminally, through the use of shadows, perspective and music to build to a climax or to raise focus on a particularly important plot point.

 

In recent years, the advancement of digital editing has allowed new conventions to grow. The Bourne trilogy, for example, uses differing camera angles and quick cuts to keep the action interesting and make the pace of certain scenes seem quicker than others, making Jason Bourne's journey juxtapose itself with the viewer's experience.

 

Although the thriller genre and action genre are similar; thrillers almost always have a problem for the protagonist to overcome: be it terrorists, murder mysteries or a difficult mission. As an effector of this, thrillers are often quite intellectually made, and the producers expect their audiences to keep up with the fast pace of the plot. Multiple storylines or the same event from multiple points of view are staples of the genre. Knitting the storylines back together and making sense of the situation at the end of the film is a part of the enjoyment of the film. Cliffhangers or unanswered questions can be used to provoke thought or leave room to manoeuvre in a sequel.

 

Due to the pace of the film, scenes are shot in a way to create a sense of adrenaline, such as car chases or gunfights with seemingly impossible odds. The actors that play the main characters need to be relatable to the audience and do not necessarily need to be much of a physical presence, as this makes their plight and struggle seem more real.

 

 

Featured film: Pulp Fiction (1994)

 

Pulp Fiction, directed by Quentin Tarantino, is often seen as an outstanding example of the thriller genre, as it encapsulates, expertly, many of the conventions of the genre while having a deep yet understandable plot, with subplots relating to the background of the characters leaving much to the watcher's imagination.  

This shot is in the opening minutes of the film. The two characters are discussing their plans to rob the restaurant they are in, and much in the spur of the moment, Ringo pulls out his gun and puts it on the table. This tells the audience that the couple are serious and are confident of their ability, as he puts the gun on the table in plain sight. The absence of music and the echo of the gun hitting table gives the watcher a moment to comprehend that the couple are the villains in the situation and the title card following this frame builds tension as the action is frozen while the audience wants to see how the robbers act. The clothing of Ringo is flowery, which is not promoting the image of a killer, and so the revelation of the gun is made more of a shock.

 

  

 

The camera moves backwards as Jules and Vince walk through the corridors. This long shot draws attention to the actors as there is no distractions in the background. This scene firmly shows that Jules (left) is the leader and Vince is the partner. You can see this by the stance of the two characters, Jules is much more upright and commanding. While the two characters are dressed in the same clothing, it is clear that Vince takes the job less serious as he has long, unkempt hair and has an ear ring. In this two shot, Jules leads the way and walks in a much more professional manner, while Vince asks questions and shows his lack of knowledge in his job.

This scene follows straight from the last scene. Jules is calm and composed during the interrogation of the people in the room, despite their guns pointed at him. It is obvious he has been in this situation many times before, as he chats casually to the businessmen. The man he is pointing the gun at is clearly intimidated, and responds negatively to Jules' witty quips. The stance of Vince in the background (hand in his pocket, cigarette in hand) shows that Jules does this all the time, and is not scared in light of the situation.

 

  

As soon as Jules shoots the man in the chair, Vince joins in. This shows Jules' authority over Vince, as Vince does nothing to help Jules prior in the scene, but he doesn't need to. Although the two men have the same job, it is clear Vince is a spare part and is only there in case anything went wrong. Throughout the scene, both men keep their attire smart, which shows they do not crack under pressure. As the two men shoot, the screen flashes orange. This is done to emphasise the muzzle flash of the guns. The scene immediately ends, with no words spoken, into a slow fade to black. Again, this is to give the audience a moment to soak in what has just happened.

 

Soon after, Vince is sat at a bar when he is confronted by a character he has had previous experience with. You can tell straight away the men do not get along, with stern expressions and negative body language. This is another two-shot, but this time, the two characters are in the foreground.

This gives the whole scene an air of animosity as the quiet friendship of Jules and Vince in the background gives way for confrontation. The red light on Butch (left) is a connotation for danger. Butch has the authority over Vince in a similar way to Jules; he is dressed smarter yet again, wearing a jacket. Vince is leaning back, indicating he wants to avoid talking to him and not give an important facet of his personality away.

Citizen Kane opening

How does Welles create an air of mystery in the opening to Citizen Kane?

 

The opening shot of the out of focus background gives the feeling of being in a forbidden area. This, coupled with the unnerving music, gives an air of mystery and tension. The slow fade to black and cutaways show that there is a story development yet we, as the audience, have no knowledge of what that development is.  The sudden light switching off shows us that something dramatic has happened and yet we are unsure of what that is. There are lots of extreme close up shots that do not reveal much of the surrounding setting.

 

Who is the man that dies?

Why does he say “rosebud”?

Why does he have a nurse?

Why is the house so secure?

What is wrong with the man?

Why does the light go out so suddenly?

What does the snow globe symbolise?

Why does the nurse seem so emotionless when she se he’s dead?

 

Mise-en-scene:

Sound

Digetic- the sound of the snow globe crashing.

Non-digetic sound – Dramatic music

Set and props

The house and fences were very intimidating which add a sense of mystery and danger to the house. The snow globe plays an important role in the opening scenes . The snow globe is the focus point of the story.

Cinematography

Shot type – the camera tilts up the fence.

Shot composition – Most of the attention in the opening scene is drawn towards the upper right hand corner.

Lighting - the lighting is quite dark and the light in the window adds drama to the scene.

Thriller Poster Examples