Mise en Scene for Thriller (Emily)

Mise En Scene in our Thriller

Props:

A simple black bag with no branding or bright colours to make it seem boring, so it doesn't draw the viewers eye to the bag, and to also make it look normal/ natural.

This simple brown paper bag will be used to carry George's lunch in while in the bag. It is simple and also allows the film to be set in any time because there is no characters on a lunch box. A paper bag is simple and inside will be a cheese sandwich and an apple. It suggests how his mother might have made his lunch in the morning and let him go and explore for the day, showing how this is a normal routine.

The magnifying glass adds to George's curiosity and why he loves playing in the forest. It also allows the camera to explore the setting with George which allows the camera to establish the scene in more detail. 

The scarf is the first symbol of that something is wrong with the scene. Because of its quirky colours and odd and non consistent stripes, it makes it seem weird and disorientating. It relates to the plot and how in this part of the scene, the ideals change and their is a plot twisted. It will be hanging up lightly on as branch like how someone had hung it up rather than it falling off and being caught by the tree. This adds to the discomfort of seeing the scarf and it makes the audience feel uncomfortable looking at it. 

The second item of clothing that George will find is a red glove. Much like the red scarf he will be wearing to symbolise a hint of danger, this glove will do the same. The colour red can connote danger, stop signs and blood- all of which George is about to be confronted with. Only one glove will be lying on the bed of the stream, the other glove will be on the corpse George will see moments later. It will be draped across stones as if pulled off in a struggle.

The final prop is the bow and arrow George plays with. In one way it shows his boyish nature to kill things, but in a playful way, but also the idea that it is foreshadowing a killing/death. 

Make up & Hair: 

For the corpse, we will use very pale powder and some grey stage make up around the eyes to make it look more realistic, but nothing over the top to prevent it from looking fake. The actors hair is curly, so will lay around her face in a tangled way.

For George, he will wear no make up to make it look more innocent and childish and also allow any freckles to be clear on film. His hair is blonde and slightly wavy, so will be brushed and again, natural to make it look more real.

Costume:

For the corpse, she will be mainly in black to make it connote death and a non existent future. George will be wearing primary colours which reflect primary school and a normal child's life.

Independent Case Study

What are the similarities/differences in the way the character of Hannibal Lecter is presented in television and film over time?

 

Silence of the Lambs (1991)              Hannibal NBC (2013)

        Anthony Hopkins                                 Mads Mikkelsen

Both the recent television show Hannibal starring Mads Mikkelsen, and the 1991 film, Silence of the Lambs starring Anthony Hopkins, rely heavily on conventions of the Thriller genre in order to portray the cannibalistic character of Doctor Lecter. The narrative of both is featured around FBI agents, in Hannibal, Will Graham, in Silence of the Lambs, Clarice Starling. 

 The Mise en Scene in both is very reflective of the character in contrast to other characters in the scene, similarly a dark back drop is used behind Hannibal, whereas a lighter one if used behind the opposing characters. In a scene from Hannibal, where Hannibal is sat in Jack Crawford's office with colleague and main protagonist Will Graham, the Mise en Scene reveals a lot to the audience about Hannibal. A focus pull is used to bring Will into the foreground of the shot, blurring the light grey and brown background. The grey takes up half of the backdrop, grey typically representing a lack of emotion, as well as durability and strength. It is interesting that this same grey colour takes up three fourths of Hannibal's surroundings, connoting he is more emotionless than Will, which is rather fitting in relation to his cannibalistic hobbies. A zoom is used as the scene progresses to zoom in toward Will's face to show his intimidation and confusion as to how Hannibal is addressing him, a close up of Hannibal then being introduced to establish he has the power in this conversation.  This leads the audience to believe that it is Hannibal that had control over Will, perhaps causing them to be intimidated. 

Grey is also used in this clip from Silence of the Lambs to represent Hannibal. Notice how in both shots, the texture of the wall in the background is identical, and their faces are lit almost identically by three point lighting. However the colouration of the background behind Clarice  is considerably lighter than that of Hannibal, again the grey here symbolic of Hannibal's power in comparison to Clarice. The position of the camera is very important in connoting the status of the characters. In the top screenshot Hannibal is taking up half the shot, dominating the frame rate, the high angle shot of Clarice making here appear inferior to Hannibal who is looking down upon her. The close up of Hannibal is intended to make the audience distressed, the central positioning of him within the frame places him at eye level with the audience, this domination of the frame rate giving the viewer no where to look aside from directly at him, causing a very uncomfortable atmosphere whilst giving an insight into how Clarice is feeling. Over time we can see that almost identical colour schemes are used to represent Hannibal Lecter in numerous locations, similarly inferring his strength and emotional detachment. 

Despite complete differences in plot, narrative and time the action is set, both use motifs in order to represent foreshadowing, a common device used within the Thriller genre. Hannibal is a very aestically pleasing show, everything is normally perfectly proportioned, but a recurring motif within the show, dismissing perfection, is the loss of time, and the effect this has on Will Graham. Watchers of the show will know this loss of time is due to Hannibal and the therapy he is providing Will, hypnotising and drugging him for his own enjoyment. The clock symbolizes Will's descent into madness and Hannibal's rise into control of his mentality. By making Will black out for long periods of time, Hannibal leads the police and Will to believing that he, Will himself, could be insane enough to be the Chessapeak Ripper who was currently at run from the police, who is in fact actually Hannibal. The GIF above is what Will believes he is drawing, the images below is what he is in fact drawing. This symbolism reveals Hannibal's manipulation, a clock connoting of the ticking of the human heart, paralleling the way life is moving.
The fact Will is drawing the clock so hideously demonstrates how Hannibal has control over his mortality and is manipulating it for his own purposes.









Similarly, a motif of winged beings, is repeated throughout the film, wings connoting purity, illumination and evolution of the soul. This can be seen through the moths the murderer Buffalo Bill places on the corpses of his victims, Clarice's last name, Starling, and Hannibal's crucified creation. Much like Mads Mikkelsen's Hannibal, Hopkins' Hannibal is presented through these motifs to be acting like a God-like being, controlling uncontrollable mediums such as time, life and the soul. Crucified and angelic like images are featured in both interpretations of Hannibal, Silence of the Lambs being the original product to turn a corpse of a police into an angelic being. Hannibal then following in example, showing that this one killing carries enough significance to be shown to a modern day audience as well as a 90's one with the same shock factor. 
        Location in Silence of the Lambs is particularly important, Hannibal hanging his creation in the jail cell he was once held prisoner. The long shot here is lit by a back light, creating a high contrast between dark and light, the religious imagery formed by this connoting an opposition between good and bad or the devil and the angel. The American flag acting as the corpse's wings is Hannibal mocking the law enforcement in place as they have not only failed to hold him captive but also save their own. It is a statement, proving his God-like power over life.

      Mads Mikkelsen's Hannibal is slightly more grotesque in creating an angelic like being, slicing skin from the victims back to hang and act as wings. This reinforces his manipulation of the human form. The long shot here places the corpse in a third of the shot showing that even in the grand scheme of things, they are insignificant, contrasting with the central placement of the dead officer who is implied to be more important due to being shrouded with American propaganda. A back light is also used in the Mikkelsen shot, but this light is a lot more soft and almost glowing, forming a very contrasting colour gradient within the shot. The light area at the top, a Godly glow, the darker region at the bottom suggesting drama and tension and again creating the contrast between good and bad and a juxtaposition between his appearance as an angel and the devilish act Hannibal committed to put him there. I think this makes the modern interpretation of Hannibal more scary for audiences, as I believe he is more appealing in appearance however, he is more terrifying in his actions. (If the audience didn't already see cannibalism as terrifying enough.)

In this clip from Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal remarkably escapes his imprisonment in a somewhat gory and unimaginably genius way. In the clip from Hannibal, our character is seen to be in attendance at a performance of opera. The similarities between the use of sound are uncanny. In Silence of the Lambs a classical and sophisticated diegetic, coming from Hannibal's music player, soundtrack is playing, a long pan shot is used to pass over his cell before settling on him creating a very calm atmosphere. The almost painfully slow pace of the edit starts to build tension as the audience is aware of Hannibal's intentions. He is also wearing a white costume, white generally connoting purity and innocence, a complete juxtaposition of his actual nature. Close ups are shown solely of the police officer's torso's, particularly on the mace spray, batton and hand cuffs and their placements, foreshadowing the props Hannibal is about to use in his grand escape. Foreshadowing being a very common convention in the Thriller genre. The music however takes a dark turn once Hannibal has begun his attack, a loud horned flare initiates the change of pace of the edit and hand held camera shots as opposed to the steadicam shots before. The music, now a lot more dramatic and loud, is non-diegetic, layered over the top of gruesome diegetic noises such as the squelching of blood as Hannibal bludgeons an officer to death and the muzzling type sound he makes as he tears a piece of the other officer's face off with his mouth. This muzzling sound is animalistic, linking to the title of the film, Silence of the Lambs, and the recurring nightmare narrative Clarice has about the sound of lambs being slaughtered. The sound of this would most likely make the audience feel very squeamish and tense at the thought of him biting a human face with such ease. It is only the officers who make noise in this scene, Hannibal seemingly solely represented through the dominating use of eloquent sound, perhaps reflecting the eloquence of Hannibal's plan. The diegetic sounds that do occur in this scene are caused entirely by Hannibal showing his power and control over the scene.

      The scene ends with the same soothing, refine music with Hannibal letting himself enjoy it, and relish in the moment.  This is partnered with a zoom out shot, starting as a close up and ending as a birds eye view shot, displaying the dead officer on the ground, Hannibal standing tall and powerful over him. Sound in Mads Mikkelsen's Hannibal is used in a very comparable way, as well as camera shots and the edit in this clip.


In this clip from Hannibal, simultaneous editing is used to show two scenes happening coinciding. One scene- the police, trying to catch the killer of the corpses they are currently holding in the morgue, the other- Hannibal, preparing, cooking, and eating a human leg from one of these very corpses. The music, much like in Silence of the Lambs, is a cultured, classical orchestra piece. The non diegetic soundtrack is initiated by a cut away to Hannibal preparing the leg, this coming from a deadly silent long shot of the morgue. Because of the sophisticated nature of the music, it makes reinforces the idea that Hannibal is a very elegant and tasteful man, enjoying the finer things in life, such as classical music, and as shown in his cooking style, French cuisine. This is again, a massive juxtaposition as to what the audience hears, and to what the audience sees. His costume is representative of his higher class nature also, his green shirt connoting harmony and comfortability. The camera shots are predominantly mid shots and close ups featuring on his arms and hands, these bodily features emphasizing his strength as well as precision in preparation, inferring he is precise in his killings as well. Hence why the police have not yet caught him. A focus pull is used at the beginning of the clip to show the corpses, the audience being aware that it is Hannibal who has mutilated them in this manner, the use of this shot type only reiterating the idea that Hannibal is able to manipulate life.
       The soundtrack also has a mocking nature to it. It is very bright and chirpy, with violins and flutes invoking a more light-hearted tone than the dark and morbid images the clip shows. Note also how the majority of the diegetic sound originating from the shots of Hannibal are his industrial sized meat cutter, the sizzling of the hot oil in his pan, and the chopping noise of his knife against the chopping board. All of these props create very sinister sounds, reinforcing the idea of Hannibal's strength as well as making him appear intimidating and menacing. 

Overall, I don't believe there is that much of a difference between the way Hannibal Lecter is presented in both 1991 and 2013. The vast majority of media techniques are very similar, or practically identical, both demonstrating how clinically thinking, emotionally detached, cultured and strong this character is. I believe, truly, the biggest contrast is obviously the actors and plot, and arguably the camera shots, for example Silence of the Lambs opting for a lot more close ups of Hannibal's face than Hannibal the television series. This perhaps because of the series' recurring need to portray aesthetically pleasing shots. My favourite portrayal out of the two is Hannibal with Mads Mikkelsen, purely I think because it is modernized and is more of a psychological thriller, one of my favourite genres, as opposed to a psychological horror, (Silence of the Lambs). 

Sound in Thrillers

How is Sound used in Thrillers to create Tension?

In the Thriller television show, Hannibal, both diegetic and non-diegetic sound is used to create tension. In the clip above Hannibal Lecter is treating Jack Crawford to dinner. The non diegetic classical music playing is very sophisticated, like music that would be played in a higher end restaurant, suggesting Hannibal's home made meal is as equally elegant of that of a restaurant. This also sets a very refined tone for the scene. The pace of the music is slow creating a very relaxed, friendly atmosphere for the characters on screen. However, the calmness of the tone of music creates a sense of anticipation for the audience, as we are aware that Hannibal is dangerous and not to be trusted. 
       The idea that Hannibal is not to be trusted is reinforced by diegetic sound of Hannibal cutting his meat.  His knife chopping against his plate makes for a very sinister sound, Hannibal also continues talking whilst completing this action, making his speech appear more menacing. Only Hannibal's cutlery can be heard in this scene, and more specifically only his knife, the sound Hannibal is making therefore dominating the scene, expressing he holds the most power out of the two characters. 

When Jack jokes that the rabbit they are eating "should have hopped faster", Hannibal agrees by saying yes, "he" should have. The fact he uses the word "he" in relation to the rabbit forms suspicion, this suspicion is then confirmed by the dissonance of sound interrupting the character's conversation and leading into a flashback. It is Hannibal's voice that queues this change in music, therefore the harsh, inharmonious strum of strings reflect his character. This unpleasant change in music confirms the grotesque truth that the men are eating a human, not a rabbit. The volume of the music is a lot louder than it had been moments before, making the scene appear more tense. Again, diegetic sound of meat being cut can be heard partnered with the squeamish sound of joints being pulled apart creating quite a large sense of terror. 
         The sound fades out in a droning, echoing way, as if recorded in a tunnel. This oneiric sound treatment obviously used to reflect Hannibal's flashback. This fades quickly back into the melodic music heard moments before, Hannibal using a friendly and playful tone of voice to respond to Jack's remark and also bring the audience back into the reality of his dinner party. Hannibal is both dominating in dialogue, and initiating changes in sound thus reflecting his powerful characteristics and the tension these changes can make. 





In the psychological Thriller, Shutter Island pleonastic sound and pathetic fallacy is used to form a sense of unease. In this scene, detectives Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule are taking shelter in the cementary in the middle of a storm whilst investigating Ashecliffe mental hospital, a mental asylum located on a deserted island. The pathetic fallacy of the storm outside reflects the agitation between the characters, a storm connoting mental conflict, referencing the psychophysical sub-genre of the film. The sound of the external pattering of rain also creates a somewhat enclosed feeling for the characters, as if they are trapped.
      It is Chuck Aule that initiates the pleonastic sound which begins to heighten the anxiety and tension within the scene. As the diegetic sound of his voice grows, a non-diegetic soundtrack can be heard beginning to surface. It consists of a light strumming of a string instrument, the pace very slow creating an uncomfortable juxtaposition between the urgency of Chuck's voice and the moderate sound of the soundtrack. It builds tension around the character of Teddy, as if the soundtrack is a reflection of his emotions and the overwhelming notion of them. 
     An unharmonious drum beat in then added, sounding at a much faster pace than the strumming noise. This creates a struggle within the sound, perhaps symbolising the struggle Teddy is currently having in relevance to what is happening at Ashecliffe and his involvement in being there. The volume of the soundtrack dominates the scene, inferring that Chuck is creating an overcoming sensation by shouting at Teddy, and that it is Chuck that holds all the power within the scene. 
     This is then interrupted by a harsh diegetic sound of the storm outside as the doors blow open. This creates a very impending sense of an attack, as if they have suddenly been exposed. The diegetic sound of the storm is deafening, causing the characters to have to yell over the top in order to be heard, implying the Thriller genre of the film because of the suspense and fear notion caused by the sound of the storm. The use of sound in this clip invokes drama and the battle between sounds refers to the psychological battle the characters face linking to both the main genre and sub-genre of the film. 

Thriller Title Sequence

THRILLER TITLE SEQUENCES

American Horror Story

Se7en

In the opening title sequences for American Horror Story and Se7en, both rely on use of text and font to begin to present the the thriller genre both the television show and film conform to. 

         The typography for American Horror Story is somewhat in the style of a 1940's American Art Deco font denoting the year the house the story is set in, was built, despite the fact the show is set in modern day. This font  creates a very looming presence. This is because of the strokes of the letters being very near to the top of the cap-line, it makes the letters appear impending and stretched out, as if about to recoil back in on themselves and attack. The sharp flicks at the end of the 'R's' also connote an attack, this linking to the horror sub-genre of the show. The 'O's' have dots underneath them, making them appear a foreign or ancient language, this creating a sense of unknown about the show. The fact the font is in capital letters also makes the text appear more intimidating. Instead of using block capitals at the beginning of each of word, or even lower case, which could have also worked to make the title seem more confined and creepy, the show has decided to go with capitals. Often in modern media, if a text is seen to be written entirely in capitals, it is associated with the writer shouting, this, I believe is what the font is doing for American Horror Story. In order to represent it's psychological sub-genre, the font makes the audience feel as though the show is screaming it's title at them, again linking back to the idea of intimidation. 

In the title sequence the names of the cast appear when the ambient noise of the sequence becomes particularly tense. The text, paired with the sound makes the appearance of the name of the actress appear more frightening and menacing. The flickering jump cuts between camera shot and title make the title appear as if it has just popped up to scare the viewer, as opposed to a face or disturbing image, the name itself is imminent enough. I also find it interesting late on in the sequence when the title cards begin to catch fire in order to fade into the next shot. This creates the idea that even the actors and directors are not safe from the horrors of the basement that is being explored in the opening sequence. 

The similarities between the title sequence of American Horror Story and Seven are very uncanny, this is because they were both produced by Kyle Cooper. The typography in Seven reflects the sub-genre of crime within the film of this Thriller, important words such as "production" printed out in block capitals with a formal stamp. This is in contrast with the rest of the text used in the opening sequence. The letters have a slightly jagged look to them, this is especially apparent among the curves of letters, as if they have been carved into the screen as opposed to written. The ambient sound of a scratching record used also reflects this idea.  Much like the American Horror Story font, capital letters are used to make the text appear more sinister. Capital letters are used at the beginning of the word to make the lower case letters appear more confined, forming a claustrophobic and insignificant feeling. The fact the scratched out text is in lower case, which would be considerably more difficult to carve into anything, perhaps suggests the person carving these names only has a basic understanding, or child-like understanding of written language, demonstrating the psychological sub-genre of the film.

The text appears on the screen in a flickering form, jittering as if being projected by an old fashioned film reel, the text occasionally appearing back to front. This makes for uneasy viewing and disorientation, which is a common theme used in making a thriller. The speed in which the text appears on screen also makes the sequence appear frantic. 

Overall, I have come to be very influenced by these fonts. When we come to filming the opening to our Thriller film, I'd like to say we will strive to use the American Horror Story font to create a foreign look to our titles, however it may be easier to opt with a font similar to Se7en in order to present an etched in, knife like appearance. Both title sequences here very reflective of the psychological genre of the film and show. 

Shooting Schedule for Thriller Opening (Emily)

Shooting Scheldue for our Thriller

Storyboard for Thriller Opening (Emily)

Storyboard for Thriller

Inter--textual reference: Hunger Games

1. Mirrored shot in 8

2. Same shot in 9

3. Same shot as 10

4. Representation of what shot 11 will look like

How Motifs are used in Thrillers

MOTIFS IN THRILLERS

A motif is a recurring image or idea in a film, and many directors rely on motifs to form a certain mood or create a certain feeling of nostalgia or knowing within the audience. Motifs are vastly important in many genres of film, however Thriller films can really elect a feeling of foreboding and unease when using one.

A motif used in the film Inception is a totem. A small spinning top that the character Dom Cobb, (Leonardo DiCaprio), places on a surface as to confirm whether or not he is immersed in a dream. If the spinning top eventually slows and stops spinning- he is awake, however, if the spinning top continues spinning it means he is in a dream. This motif is particularly powerful at the end of the film where Cobb is finally about to be reunited with his children, however prior to this he sets the spinning top on the table as to see whether it is just another lucid dream. After having set the spinning top spinning he does not wait for the outcome and instead opts to go and meet his children. The film then abruptly ends as the spinning top begins to wobble but not fall completely leaving the audience unaware as to whether he was awake or dreaming- the uncertainty leaves the audience wishing he is awake and therefore demonstrating the emotional attachment they have formed with the character and the now detailed understanding of the significance of the top.  

        

 Christopher Nolan, the director, spoke later in an interview about the ending of the film and the significance of Cabb leaving the spinning top to spin, having relied so heavily on it previously in the film to determine whether or not he was awake- 

"I put that cut there at the end, imposing an ambiguity from outside the film. That always felt the right ending to me – it always felt like the appropriate 'kick' to me... The real point of the scene—and this is what I tell people—is that Cobb isn't looking at the top. He's looking at his kids. He's left it behind. That's the emotional significance of the thing."

Another Leonardo DiCaprio film which evolves heavily around a motif is The Great Gatsby. In this film DiCaprio's character, Gatsby is seemingly fixated with a green light which comes a light in the evening from a dock the other side of a river Gatsby lives on. This green light illuminates from where Gatsby's love, Daisy, lives. The green light therefore represents Daisy and his desire and longing for her. The green of the light demonstrates the envy and jealously that Gatsby feels, perhaps toward her new husband, or perhaps toward the light itself being closer to his love than he is. The light is also used to reflect America in the 1920's and how many Americans strived to achieve the American Dream, Gatsby's American Dream being Daisy, who, despite reaching and longing for, he cannot reach. 

        The feeling I believe this motif elects from the audience is one of realisation, green, in our modern life, means go- if you relate it to traffic lights for example. The realisation the audience feels is one that if you want someone, you should go and get it, instead of wasting away simply longing. The use of motif in these two films has influenced me to perhaps use a particular colour as a recurring motif in our Thriller film opening, (as we don't have much time to establish a motif), to signify longing, or danger or something else. This colour could appear on props, on location or even costume. Either way, I have been very motivated to use a motif in our Thriller opening.