Analysis of the title opening of TV drama A Mother’s Son

  

Analysis of the title opening of TV drama A Mother’s Son

A Mother’s Son is a thriller television drama which aired on ITV in September 3rd. During the course of this analysis I will be examining how sound and camera angles are used in the title opening of the drama to create a sense of tension.

The opening starts with an extreme long shot of wave crashing onto a beach shore. Within the shot cold camera filter has been used to exaggerate how dark our setting but may also connote a fore coming dark event. This idea of a foreshadowing event is further reinforced by the semiology of waves crashing; we the audience tend to associate this imagery with death as it is believed that seagulls go to sea to die. Furthermore we hear the exaggerated noise of waves crashing to further indicate that something is wrong. This devices help create tension as we are given our location but already with the se of filters and sound we the audience can tell this isn’t a normal night at the beach and we are hooked in by one shot.

This then cuts to a close up shot of silhouettes of birds with this we can hear a non-diegetic sound of distorted bird screeching, this is then followed by an out of focus close up of reeds and then a tracking shot of someone feet running from something. Backing with this we hear a slow fade in of orchestral music as it cuts to the shot of the persons feet.  The use of the birds creates tension as our thoughts raised by the first shot are further reinforced we establish that not everything is all right with the connotations of the black birds convey death.

This is further developed upon with the use of the exaggerated sounds and the music as the music creates a sombre feeling whilst also slowly getting louder; we can establish that something is bad building up. The shot of the feet brings up the question who is this person and also why are they running. This helps creates a sense of tension as we are left guessing into what the situation is.

During the opening we start to hear sounds of people wailing which plays on the idea of danger which has been established with the last few elements. This causes the audience to become fearful for the well-being of this person running; its cause’s tension as we want to know what is going to happen to this person. Eventually the music gets louder and we become ever more fearful for this persons safety as the rise in volume further indicates a bad event creeping up on her.

Soon we see a POV shot of this person falling, we put ourselves in their position and we start to feel more concerned about their safety but also we start to think what they are trying to run from.

When then see an extreme long shot of this character running through a large field completely covered by vegetation around. This shot emphasises how vulnerable and isolated they are and yet again this creates tension as we grow more concerned for him/ her, however by this shot it becomes increasingly obvious that see won’t make it and the question that we soon start to ask ourselves is this person who is chasing her going to be revealed as well as his motives.

Next we see quick cuts from shot to shot to emphasise the fear this person is going through but also has been employed to reveal the identity of this person running in a frantic way. Furthermore it is revealed used these quick cuts why this person is running as it quickly cuts to a close up shot of this person who has been recently revealed as a girl holding a wound in her stomach. The blood dripping from her wound has been highlighted in bright red in contrast with the cold camera filter used to convey a harsh setting. These devices create tension as the quick cuts allow the audience to experience the fear that is she is going through. Secondly the use of the of the highlighted blood stain exaggerates the pain this person is going through and we the audience can  establish that she is going to die, however what constantly keeps us engaged is the prospect of finding out the identity of this mystery person who may have or may not have inflicted this injury upon her.

We then see an extreme long shot of this girls eye, we hope to see the identity of this mystery persons face reflected off of her pupil however his face is concealed thus causing tension as we anticipate this girl to speak perhaps revealing the identity of this mystery person. However in the next shot we see a close up of this girls face and in the background we hear her utter the words I’m sorry. Such an ambiguous phrase of speech creates tension as we are left hooked in wanting to find out more about the relationship between this girl and this mystery person.

Research of the film No Country for Old Men

No Country for Old Men

 No Country for Old Men is a 2007 American thriller directed by Ethan and Joel Coen, which is based on a novel by Cormac McCarthy novel. The film is set in rural texas and follows welder and hunter Llewelyn Moss as he discovers the remains of drug runners who have killed each other in drug deal gone awry. Among the corpses lies 2 million dollars which Moss takes for himself. This soon sets of a chain of violent events as Anton Chigurh an emotionless killer is on his trail as he murders anyone who may pose a threat to him in pursuit of the money. It eventally becomes apparent that Moss can't keep this money a secret and tries to making a run for it. Meanwhile the soon to be retired Sheriff Ed Tom Bell is overseeing the investigation of the murders by Chigurh in pursuit of Moss.

The film won 4 oscars and has had 50 nominations

My experience with a film camera

My experience with the film camera

 



Recently in my media lessons we've been practising with film camera's to achive certian shots such over the shoulder shots, low angles, long shots etc.
Overall I felt setting up certain shots such as over the shoulder and high angle shots were easier to set up than others for instance to set up a panning shot of peoples feet my group and I needed some help using a trolley to prevent any shakiness. First we strapped th camera itself onto the trolley since it wouldnt fit onto it directly. we then rolled the trolley along a path to get the shot.

Other shots such as crane shots were created by standing on a flight of stairs whereas POV shot was created by holding the camera directly infront of our eyes and move while it was recording.

Ultimately I believe my experience with the cameras went well although my group and I did have to apply some creativity to achieve certain shots.

Analysis of thriller film posters

Analysis of leon poster

Leon is a French thriller film released in 1994. During this analysis I am going to be exploring how the French theatrical release poster connotes to the viewer’s eyes that this film is a thriller title as well as other significant features in the poster. The posters central image is a low angle close up shot of Jean Reno who stars as the titular character of the film. The use of such a low angle brings strength to this character and therefore the audience can recognize this characters high status. Moreover the use of a close up of Reno’s face looking up allows the audience to identify Reno’s character as the protagonist, not only this but the facial expression on Reno’s face is calm and shows he is in control but also creates a mystery behind this character, i.e.  What is this character thinking about? Suspense and tension is a convention of the thriller genre and this is evidenced on this film poster with the shot of Reno’s face looking up and reflecting off his glasses is a low angle shot of building. This may cause the audience to ponder, what the link is between Reno’s character and this building. Additionally the use of a low angle on the building gives the building strength and makes it appear as if the building is going to be a challenge for our protagonist but this challenge isn’t made completely clear on the poster and thus leaves the audience in the dark about the motives of Reno’s character. The use of a warm color filter in the poster connotes danger and action .These features connote that this poster is for a thriller as the poster reveals very little about the film itself asking its audience to try and come up with their own answers.

Furthermore in the French film poster of Léon, the title of the film is written in large block capitals going vertically down. This certain type of typography has been employed as it makes the character Léon himself seem strong with his name written in such large capital letters. Moreover the type has been laid out to look almost like the shape of a building; possibly referring to the building we see in León’s glasses. This may in fact give the viewer some clues towards this character, possibly suggesting that this building is León’s base of operations. Additionally, in the poster we see a sunset, this may connote something is about to end; possibly referring to León’s job as an assassin, he kills people for money thus ending life. In addition the sun has been known to connote life itself, by the sun setting this connotes life ending.

In terms of challenging the thriller genre, the film poster is very conventional to the thriller genre. It features many elements such as shadows in the bottom of the poster, the theme of voyeurism as Léon looks towards the building as if he is watching it. However the contrast between the lights and the shadows do in some way develop upon the thriller iconography of shadows. Shadows have been used in thriller films and posters to conceal and hide away things that may give away the narrative. However in this case shadows have been used to contrast with the warm filter and further exaggerate the meaning given off by this filter, i.e. the feeling of danger and death.

Analysis of Psycho film poster

Psycho is an American horror thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and released in June 16, 1960. Although this film is a sub-genre of the thriller genre its film poster does share many thriller conventions to connote that the film is a thriller in some ways. During this analysis I am going to be exploring how exactly this poster creates suspense as well as other significant features. In the poster one can see a mid-shot image of a woman highlighted in bright yellow with a concerned look on her face. The woman’s facial expression poses some significance as her fearful face connotes a nearby danger approaching however this danger isn’t entirely depicted in the poster which therefore keeps the audience in suspense in what is happening. Moreover the shot of this woman is surrounded by a black graphic which separates her from the rest of the poster which connotes entrapment, however this brings up the question why is she trapped, a question that isn’t answered exactly by the poster. Additionally she is the only character in the image highlighted in bright yellow. This allows the audience to identify this character as possibly the protagonist or the victim of the film as she stands out completely and appears vulnerable. This already makes the audience want to know what her fate is and thus keeps us on the edge of our seats.  Furthermore in the poster one can see a man highlighted in red with an aggressive look on his face. Instantly the audience can identify this man as the antagonist and can also identify the threat he poses to this woman. Also the use of a warm and cold color pallet in the poster contrast with each other. The cold colors such as blue and blacks connote death a theme in both horror and thriller and the warm colors such as the yellows and oranges connote danger and vulnerability. Finally the broken typeface of psycho suggests disruption and a broken mind and link in with the title.

 In terms of representation, the representation of women in this poster present them as helpless. This imagery of women has unfortunately become a convention of film and story telling the damsel in distress. The inclusion of this helpless woman creates drama in the poster which entice audiences to view this poster. Furthermore men are represented in the poster as strong as evidenced by the man's animalistic pose as well as the fact that his shirt is off;  the audience can see the man's muscles which connote how strong he is. This idea of a strong man and a helpless woman very common in the 1960's and is still common now due to the fact that we live in a patriarchal society however films such as Alien challenge this idea with the inclusion of strong female leads.


The poster is very conventional as a thriller poster as it features  many conventional thriller elements such as entrapment with images surrounded by broken borders which empahisise how much danger this woman is in and shadows with the use of a large amount of black to conceal some features like the body of the man on the left and the "psycho" character as evidenced by the man on the left with his angry facial expression.

Analysis of taken film poster

 

 

Taken is a French thriller film produced Luc Besson released in 2008. During this analysis I will be exploring many of the significant features used in one of the taken film posters as well as how it creates suspense. In the poster one can see a mid-shot of Liam Neeson’s character looking down, note that is face isn’t clearly shown and is covered by a black shadow which blends in with the black background. The use of this device is to create mystery to the character as we the audience cannot see any facial expression and therefore we cannot identify this man’s motives or the emotion he is experiencing all that we are left with is a sombre mood created by the monochromatic pallet. This sombre environment creates tension within the image and the audience is left asking what this man is looking at. Another piece of graphic used in this image which holds significance is the gun. This allows the audience to instantly identify this man as dangerous. Furthermore Liam Neeson’s name is written in a bright red type which may have been used to further reinforce the idea that his character is dangerous as the colour connotes. Additionally the use of Neeson’s character as the central image allows us the audience to establish that his role in the film is the protagonist. In addition there is large quote written on top of Neeson’s body. It reads “I don’t know who you are but if you don’t let my daughter go, I will find you, I will kill you”.  We the audience can identify that this quote is said by Neeson’s character because of the placement of the quote, not only this  but this quote allows us to gain some insight into Neeson’s character  without giving too much information away. This device causes suspense in the poster as the audience is still left guessing who exactly is this man.

Moreover the poster represents men as powerful figures; defined by Nesson's pose and the gun he is holding which gives him power. This idea of a strong male lead is conventional to not only the thriller genre but storytelling in text due to the fact that our society has  a patriarchal nature, men are normally depicting in more of a "better light" than women in text. Furthermore Nesson's big gun is a phallic symbol and further emphasises how much a "big" and "powerful" man he is. The type of Taken is written in bright red in a sans serif font which connote a cold and sombre atmosphere.

In terms of thriller genre conventions the poster features only one thriller convention , however still makes the poster fairly conventional. The poster uses thriller iconography, shadows to conecel Nesson's identity which not only creates tension by creating a mystery behind his character but also causes a 

 verfremdungeffekt in which viewers may start to distance themselves from Nessons character. The viewer may have already established Nesson as the protagonist of the film from the eveidence of him as a central image of the poster. With Nesson's face covered, this takes away his humanity thus making him less of a character we "root for". This allows audiences to distance themselevs from Nessons character questioning his moral fidelity

What is a Thriller

What is a Thriller

A thriller is a genre of film that use tension and susepense as its main elements. Tension is normally creaed when the protaginist is placed in a mencing environment or must solve a mystery or goon a dangerous mission in which the odds are agianst them. These films tend to be fast paced and keep the audience at the edge of thier seats constantly. Common stock characters in thriller films tend to be the psycho, the detective , the assassin, the victim and the criminals. Very common thriller narritives include a red herring several major plot twists, deception, conspiracy and death wheter it be pre determined, murder, accidental or a suicide.

An example of thrillers

The borne identity

Pulp fiction

Psycho

Check out this amazing speed painting video from youtube

This video is an amazing example of the work that can be produced using photoshop and a bambo tablet.

First post

Ok so this is my first post to my new Blog for AS media
Anyway welcome to my page where I will be featuring the work I produce over the course on here

Credits to background - Christopher Anka
 Full resolution version is below