Thriller Opening Analysis

LEON - opening analysis

In the opening of Leon, where we see the credits the setting is shown, this is an urban setting which is popular in thrillers. The camera work goes through the streets of an urban setting showing us where the film will take place.

While the camera is going through the streets of the city it shows a sign saying ‘little Italy’ which could suggest a theme of gangs and violence, it also shows where the film starts. The camera angle shows a reflection in the sunglasses of the main character which could also represent his point of view, what he is looking at. At the beginning you get shown a picture of ‘someone’ (most likely to be a target because we see Leon as a hit-man).

The man character "leon" is seen as a cold hearted person who doesnt care who he hurts which is also common to find in a typical thriller. We see the main character finish drinking a glass of milk (which is a running joke in the film). We also see shots of where the supposed target is being with a bunch of body guards being well protected.

We are shown a shot of a briefcase full of drugs, having a storyline which involves drugs is very common thriller narrative. Once we are a few minutes into the movie the main character is still a mystery to us but we now as the audience realise that he is going after the man in the picture because he is holding a gun (which is typical iconography for a thriller genre) to one of the body guards that protecting the man in the picture. Now there is a shot from inside the hotel where the “target” is being protected, where now all the bodyguards are in a panic and the editing becomes very fast paced because they do not know what is coming next, although it is obvious that something is about to happen. There is a camera shot of the top of the lift which shows what floor the lift is on, this can be compared to “silence of the lambs” because this presents a sense of panic because they know what somebody is in the building but they do not know where or why. It shows the lift getting closer to the “target” and there all preparing for danger.

All of a sudden the lift doors open and a bloodied hand falls out and the bodyguards react impulsively and shoot the hand thinking it was the enemy, but they realise they have been tricked (misdirection is common in thrillers). There is a low shot of one of the bodyguards looking down a stair well trying to find the enemy (this type of shot is usual to represent someone more powerful however in this film that is not the case).

Now all the bodyguards are worried and they are about to leave.  Then it shows that even though the main character is outnumbered he is still able to out smart them, this is a very common narrative in thrillers where the main character odds of surviving are slim.

The target and his bodyguards get extremely worry and try to protect the target by going into a closed space that inevitably puts them in even more danger. When the main character takes out the bodyguards behind a screen and you only see part of the main character looking at the target through a bullet hole in the screen, separating the main character from the target, at this point the editing is very fast paced to represent the panic going on in the scene. When the target is backed up into a corner you see a knife appear at the targets neck which shows that the main character got to his target without being seen, which also causes enigma. The characters face emerges and you see him for the first time in the whole opening.

Thriller Poster Analysis

THE FINAL DESTINATION.
The women in the middle of the poster could be seen as the main character in the movie, this is because she is the main focus of the poster.
As you can see on the front of this poster the main characters face is breaking through the glass witch could suggest that she is trying to break free from something or someone.

The tag line 'rest in pieces' could mean that there is an element of danger within the movie so the theme could be based around something or someone trying to hurt or kill there victims.The women's face on the poster is a dark and creepy picture that uses low key lighting to suggest that this film could be very dark with something unexpected that could happen within the film. Some features of the women's face has been turned into more of a skull figure than a human face, this could for shadow that she is is running from "death" and that death is the villain with could suggest a supernatural narrative. This is a typical thriller narrative.

TAKEN

The film Taken has a common thriller poster. It has one man standing in the centre on the poster, this man is smartly dressed and is looking down towards his gun, this could suggest him being the main character in the movie and the one at which might be a strong and intelligent character. He is aged between his 30-40s which is also a common type of character for a action thriller movie.

There is a pitch black background with very low key lighting shining on half of the mans face and hand, this may mean that he will find himselve in a unexpected situation with-in which he doesnt know what to do or where to turn to next.

The quote "i dont know who you are but if you dont let my daughter go i will find you, i will kill you" is written accross the poster and infront of the character Liam Neeson, it is written in a bold front as he is putting his point across strongly. The title of the film "Taken" is at the bottom of the poster. It is written in a bold orange font, making it stand out from the rest of the poster. The title is in a soft orange colour suggesting somebodt vunerable and weak being the person in which is "taken" where as the rest of the poster is in bold masculine colours.

forms and conventions

Characters
In thriller films there are usually either a murderer, criminal, stalker or villain and an Innocent victim who gets caught up in a particular situation that they have no idea of getting themselves into and cannot control. For example in the film The Resident there is a inocnent women who has no idea that a man is watching her and finds herself in a pcychological problem where she has no idea what the man is going to do next.



Iconography
iconography is the props used in a film. they are important in a thriller film, this is because certain characters need certain props to pull off its act. for example a secret spy would need all sorts of spy equipment and gadgets like spy cameras, tracking devices and listening bugs, along with a smart suit to make them look professtional.

 
audio-visual style
Audio-visual style is the way in which the camera is used in shooting a movie. for example the pace at which it is edited, the high or low camera angles, the sound and special effects. alot of thriller movies use all different types of audio-visual style for example in thr film "fast and furious" they use loud music, chases, explosions and are very fast paced/edited. the fast pace is the most common audio-visual style used in thriller films. this is because it keeps the viewers on edge and holds suspence throughout the film.

Narrative
The narrative is the story line or the plot in somecases. For example a car chase or a spy plot with the governement, the most common thriller narative would be a murder plot, which would involve a phyco killer and a innocent victim or a numer of innocent victims in a purticular order.




Theme
Thriller themes most commonly include political conspiricy, crime, terrorism or paranoia. For example the film "enemy of the state" has a political conspiracy theme. In this film a man accidentally is in possession of something the government want. he has no idea that he has anything and gets caught up in a political crime.

List of thrillers i have seen between 1990-2011

Psychological thrillers

The resident

The orphan

Silence of the lambs

Seven

Revenge thrillers

Taken

Action thriller

Snakes on the plane

The fast and the furious- Tokyo drift

2 fast 2 furious

The fast and furious

Political thriller

Enemy of the state

Crime thriller

Leon

Supernatural thriller

Jurassic park

Suspense thriller

Jaws

definition and target audience of a thriller

A thriller is a genre of a film which builds up suspense, tension and fear for the viewers. However this can be put into sub-genres such as 'action thrillers' e.g. Snakes on a Plane and 2 Fast 2 Furious.  Psychological thrillers such as The Resident and The Orphan. revenge thrillers like Taken, Political thrillers like the Enemy of the State. Crime thrillers like Leon. Supernatural thrillers like Jurassic park and pure suspense thrillers such as Jaws.
Thrillers are usually aimed teens over the age of 15 (because most have a 15 certification) and also a more mature older audience. This is because the movies contain violence, adult themes, complex plots and psychologically complex characters that younger audiences either wouldn't understand or might find too disturbing.

Sub genres include:

• Crime - a suspenseful film often with shoot-outs, robberies and chases (e.g. Fast and the Furious)
• Action- commonly based around a hero and villain with a race against time (e.g. the Die Hard series).
• Psychological- conflict between two characters that usually have mental or emotional problems that they are not prepared for (e.g. the resident).
• Revenge- these are usually fast paced films that hold a lot of suspense and tension (e.g. taken).
• Political- usually a movie based around some sort of government plot (e.g. enemy the state).
• Supernatural- out of the ordinary movie in which unnatural things take place (e.g. jurrasitc park).
• Suspense- usually holds mystery and tension (e.g. Jaws).