The Secret Window

WRITE UP AN ANALYSIS OF THE OPENING SEQUENCE TO 'THE SECRET WINDOW' PAYING PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO HOW IT ATTRACTS AND AUDIENCE

Today, I am going to analyse the opening of 'the secret window' using camera, editing, sound and mise-en-scene. The film,'The Secret Window', is a psychological thriller directed and written by David Koepp. 

In the opening sequence we see the main character, Mort Rainy (played by jonny depp) sat in a car looking annoyed, yet very focused. Throughout this scene the camera does not move from the close up and stays focused on Depps facial expression, which also does not move. This draws the audience in to what Depps character may be feeling at that moment. The camera moves ever so slightly, still focusing on Depp, but it reveals his hand which shows a wedding ring. This suggests to the audience that something may of happened within his marriage which would explain his facial expression. 

Eventually, the car reverses with speed, leaving the camera behind, forming the establishing shot of the motel.The speed at which the car is reversed at shows Depps characters reckless state of mind. His car reverses and he drives towards the motel. 

He then enters into the reception which is shown through a medium shot, which from this shot, exposes the whole of the reception. We then see Depps character looking frantically across the desk at the keys for the rooms. We then see Depp reaching and grabbing at a set. The medium shot of Depp grabbing the keys, once again show his reckless state of mind. 

The scene then pans out from the reception and towards one of the motel rooms, where Depps character barges into. There is then a medium shot of the bed in the room of a man and a women, which suggests that this may possibly be his wife. 

The film opens on a black screen which displays loud thudding sound bridge, which at first could be mistaken for a heart beat. It is then shown within the establishing shot that it is in fact wiper blades from a car. We hear a voice speaking within the opening sequence, but Depps character is not actually talking. 
'TURN THE CAR AROUND AND GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE, RIGHT NOW'
This then suggests that it is in fact the characters own thoughts speaking to him. This makes the audience curious as to what is happening, but also reinforces Depps characters unstable state of mind. Depp then ignores his own advice and We then hear the digetic sound of the car reversing and moving against the road, which represents the main characters out of control behaviour. Once Depps character enters the motel bedroom, we hear muffled distorted sounds and the shouting between the characters can just about be heard. I believe that this is to represent Depps characters mental state and his lack of control of his anger.

Throughout the opening sequence, mise-en-scene is very important. The first shot is of Depp in a car, which is in the dark, which could be a way to represent the darkness lurking over the main character. Within the establishing shot, we are able to distinguish two features. One of which is that it is night time, and is set in winter. This again, could represent the darkness of the character,but also the coldness of him too. The second feature is of the Motel sign, which is lit up in the colour red. The colour red may be used to show the danger that may occur in the next few scenes or within the rest of the film. We later see that the colour red is also used on the motel doors, which could be used to show the danger that may be behind them. This then puts the audience on edge as to what may happen.

Within the editing aspect of the sequence, the length of shots are unusually. The first shot we see lasts for over a minute. But then as the sequence moves on the editing becomes more fast paced and the shots become shorter, creating tension.

Overall, the opening sequence builds tension and entices the audience to find out more about what is happening. 

survey monkey analysis

to get a better understanding of what people like in a thriller film I created a syrvey on survey monkey where I asked different questions about a thriller.

below you are able to see my results. 

The first question I asked was 'what is your age?' I asked this to get a better understanding of what the age group may be when I make my thriller film. from my survey i was bale to see that 90% were ages 13-18 and the remaining 10% is aged 19-24. these results are important as i am able to see and think about who my target audience may be and how to make it appealing for them. 

I then went on to ask them what their gender is. I asked this so I would be able to get a better understanding at who may watch the thriller opening we create. From my sirvey I was able to see that 50% were female and the other 50% were male. Due to these results I know that I will be aiming my thriller at both males and females. 

The third question I asked was what their favourite sub genre of a thriller is. From this I was able to see that 20% of them chose conspiracy thriller as their favourite. 30% chose crime thriller as their favourite. 30% chose horror thriller as their favourite. 10% chose comedy as their favourite and 10% chose supernatural. due to these results I will base my thriller opening around either a crime thriller or a horror. I will most likely pick crime thriller as i find this would be the easiest to come up with ideas for. 

I then went on to ask what they think the most effective features are of a thriller. 10% said music, 30% said actors/actresses, 40% said mise-en-scene, 10% said opening titles and 10% said camera shots. From these results, I am able to see that the most effective feature that my audience prefer is mise-en-scene. Therefor I will make sure the mise-en-scene of my thriller is well chosen and symbolises a thriller.

I then asked what they think the most appropriate colour is for a thriller. 30% said grey, 30% said white, 20% said black, 10% said red and the remaining 10% said purple. From these I am able to see that the majority said white, grey and black. Due to these results, we will make sure too use these colours in our title to ensure it stands out. 

For this question i asked what the think would be the most effective in a thriller. for some reason one person skipped the question, but these are the results from the 9 who did answer. 11.11% said kidnapping, 33.33% said murder, 11.11% said chase scenes and the remaining 44.44& said psychological. From these I am able to see that the majority think a murder or a psychological scene would be the most effective in a thriller, there for we will base our thriller around one of these.

The last question I asked was whether or not they think an intense opening is important or not in a thriller. 90% said yes and the remaining 10% said no. From these I am able to see that the majority do think it is important for a thriller to have an intense opening. We will take this into consideration when filming out opening, we will ensure we have an intense opening. in my opinion, I think it is important to have an intense opening as it intrigues the audience to find out more about the film.

These results are very helpful as they have helped me get a better understanding of what my target audience will want to see in my thriller opening. I will take these into consideration when discussing to my group what to do for our opening.

Analysis of Existing A level media thrilllers

CAPTIVE - AS MEDIA OPENING




The opening of this film starts of with an establishing shot of the main character tied up, which immediately links it to the title 'CAPTIVE'.
Throughout the opening there is digetic sounds which are of the main character breathing heavily and the sound of water dripping. The use of these digetic sounds adds tension to the opening. There is also the use of non-digetic sounds which are of a high pitched string instrument, once again adding to the tension of the opening.
The film uses a range of shots, but close ups are the most used. The use of the close ups used within the fast paced editing draws the audience in to find out more. They also create suspense as to what has happened to the main character.
From watching this film, it is clear that a lot of money and time has been put in to produce this film to make it as real as possible. 

EXCEMPTION - AS MEDIA OPENING





The opening of this film consists of a montage of shots of E.C.U, P.O.V and C.U. These are all shown with the digetic sound of a boy/boys breathing heavily, which suggests that something has happened and they are in fear. The shots used are very shaky, which links into the heavy breathing which is also shaky. 
The beginning of the film is very slow and the story line is not very clear. They then use fast paced editing when they two main characters run away from their supposed kidnapper after stabbing him in the leg with a pen. I think where they placed their fast paced editing was a good choice as it ties in them running away. It also creates tension and draws in the audience to want to know if they get away or not.

thiller title sequence

Title sequences of a thriller film

A title sequence definition - A title sequence (also referred to as an intro) is the method by which films or Tv programmes present the title, key production and cast members, utilising conceptual visuals and sound. It typically includes the text of the opening credits, and helps establish the setting and tone of the program. It may also consist of live action, animation, music, still images and/or graphics. (REF - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/title_sequence )

Here are some examples of film titles/sequences that I have found:

300

The images shown before are for the title sequence of the film 300. the title sequence shown consists of images of people fighting, clearly showing what the film is about. The images also show red splattered across them, which is obvious that it is used to show blood. it is evident from the images used that the film is an action.

CAPTAIN AMERICA

shown above is images taken from the title sequence for captain america. One main feature that stands out immediately is the use of the black and white colouring, but the use of the red colour used in the middle. Some of the images show captain america himself standing proudly as well as some showing him in 'action' which suggest that the film is an action film. The use of the red colouring mixed between the images of black and white acts as an enigma code for danger that may occur in the film.

SE7EN

shown above are some images taken from the title sequence of SE7EN. one of the  main features that stand out in this title sequence is the use of the dark colours which suggest that the film is some sort of thriller. The images used all connote a thriller as they all have something which suggests that something bad may happen. One image used is an image of someone holding a blade which is an enigma code which could suggest that he may cause harm to himself or someone else later on in the film. There is then images use of someones face with their eyes crossed out which also acts as an enigma codes as it suggest that something may happen to that person in the film.

Codes and Conventions of a thriller film

Codes and conventions from Caitlin Elward

second/final edit of the continuity film - college trip

The video above is our final cut of our continuity film which we edited down the college. As mentioned, we were going to use their software, this software was Premiere which was on their apple macs. With this it meant we were able to improve our continuity film and make the changes that were mentioned in the previous post. As you can see these changes have been made and the conversations flow better and it looks more natural. 

Me and Josh both decided to cut the first shot out of the continuity (the slow pan of the classroom which then focused on josh) as we both felt it wasn't necessary and was slow. Therefore the second clip from the first edit of the continuity then became our first shot in the second edit. 

I enjoyed using the college software as i found it was easier to use and understand than the schools software. The programme also lead to a better quality edit than when we edited it in the school. The software got easier to use the more we looked around on it,we also has a quick tour of the software off one of the tutor's at the college which helped us understand the software better. I hope we get to use this software again.

1st edit of continuity film

This is our first edit of the continuity film which was edited using Serif Movie Plus which is a programme on Microsoft which is available on our school computers. 

strengths of the continuity film

• We kept a consistent flow of continuity throughout
• We took our teachers advice and included numerous camera angles and shots to make the continuity more interesting
• Our teacher gave us some feedback and said she liked the high angle shot of josh through the window as it breaks up the previous shots as it was outside, it also makes it interesting.

what could be improved

• The shots at the beginning of the continuity need to be cut shorter as they play for too long and focus on one thing. This isn't really needed and will not make a difference if they are made shorter.
• Within the continuity when josh and myself have a conversation,some of the clips will need to be cut as there is too many pauses between the speech. It will need to be cut to make the conversation flow better.
• The shot where Josh opens the door also needs to be cut slightly as it is too long and is quite slow. We will speed this clip up and make it shorter so it flows better when the next shot come.

Throughout the continuity film we used a range of shots. these shots consisted of close ups, medium shots, high angle pan and long shots. 

We will be visiting the college for a few hours where we will be able to use their software on their apple macs to edit the continuity again. We will then be able to see if the different software's provide different overall qualities of film. 

The editing software in the college worked much better than the schools. But josh did notice when he saved the continuity as a Serif Movie Plus file it led to the quality being bad, once he noticed this he then re saved it under a MP4 file, the film then ran a lot better. 

planning the continuity film exercise

we had a lesson to help us plan out continuity film, we were given tips on how to plan a continuity such as: 

• Use a storyboard and script to plan and make the continuity film 
• Make sure that the tripod is level and the camera is steady 
• Consider the shot/reverse shot technique whilst filming to make sure it makes sense
• Try to include a variety of shots such as close ups

Josh scripted the film and ran it through with me to make sure it made sense and to make sure we had enough camera shots in it. We used a storyboard to create the continuity film and to make sure we got the correct shots in when needed.
Josh filmed a close up of my eye to see what the camera was like when used to film, after this we were able to notice slight movements in the clip, from this we were able to see all the extra care we would have to take in the continuity to make sure this didn't happen.

Thriller sub genres

Sub Genres of Thriller Films

Thriller

NOUN

-A novel, play, or film with an exciting plot, typically involving crime or espionage.

‘a tense thriller about a diamond heist that goes badly wrong’

‘spy thrillers’

(with reference to - https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/thriller)

Sub genres

Action
An action thriller tends to use physical action to create suspense within the film. just like a traditional Action film, this sub-genre will often have continuous motion and action including physical stunts, chases, fights, battles and races. sometimes these scenes will show the overall sense of danger that the protagonist is facing. Action films- Taken, The Fugitive, Speed and The Dark Knight.

Crime
A crime thriller is a mixture between both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspense account of a successful/failed crime. They often base their films on the criminal rather than the law itself. The films may consist of serial killers/murders, robberies, chases, shootouts and double crosses. Crime films - Seven, Silence of the Lambs, Untraceable and New Jack City.

conspiracy thriller
A Conspiracy thriller is a genre where the hero confronts a large and powerful group of villains,who's true extent only the hero recognises. Conspiracy films - The Da Vinci Code, Awake, Snake Eyes and JFK.

Comedy
A comedy thriller is a genre which combines both comedy and thrillers, a film that gives a combination of humour and suspense. Comedy films- Strangelove, Mr and Mrs Smith, The Big Fix and The Thin Man

Horror
A horror thriller is a genre that combines horror and thriller together, it focuses on suspense, tension and also adrenaline but also focuses and emphasises terror and gore. Horror films - Saw, Hostel, Eden Lake and Psycho

Psychological
A psychological thriller is a genre is where the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, but not so much physical. In the films, characters, by accident pr out of curiousness, are dragged into a dangerous conflict which they are not prepared to solve their selves. The characters do not rely on their physical strength to over come this, the rely on their mental resources. The sub genre can also contain aspects of drama. Psychological thrillers- Shutter island, Shadow of a Doubt,Red Eye and Panic Room.

supernatural
A supernatural thriller is a genre where a film bases around the other world and the future. It includes elements of tension,suspense and plot twists. In most cases the protagonist / antagonist will have some sort of supernatural power. Supernatural films- I, The Thirteenth Floor, Robot and Eagle Eye.

Thriller Film Directors

 Alfred Hitchcock 
Alfred Hitchcock was an English film director and producer. he was sometimes referred to as 'The Master of Suspense'. he completed man elements of the suspense and psychological thriller genres. He's worked on many films such as Psycho, The Birds, Vertigo and Rear Window. 

Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino is an american filmmaker, screenwriter and actor. his films are usually characterised by nonlinear story lines, an anaesthetisation of violence and gore, extended scenes of dialogue and references to popular culture. He's worked on many films such as Pulp Fiction, The Hateful Eight, Django Unchained and many more.

David Lynch
David Lynch is an american director,screenwriter and author. he is known for his surrealist films. David Lynch has created his very own TV series with Mark Frost, Twin peaks, which he also went on to make a cinema prequel, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. Hes worked on many films such as Wild at Heart and The Straight story. 

Brian De Palma
Brian De Palma is also an american film director and screenwriter. hes been considered as a part of the new Hollywood wave of filmmaking. He is best known for his suspense, psychological thriller and crime films. He's worked on films such as Scarface, Carrie, The Untouchables and Dressed to Kill. 

Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nola is an English-American film director, screenwriter and producer. he is known as one of the highest-grossing directors in history and among the most successful filmmakers in the 21st century. Hes made films such as The Dark Knight, Interstellar, Inception and The Prestige. 

What does 'Thriller' mean to you?

THRILLER

To me, a Thriller is a genre of a film which causes suspense and tension. It is a genre of a film that involves a crime with a lot of events that follow after, all creating tension. 

My favourite sub genre of a thriller would be a crime thriller as I enjoy films that build tension and draw you in to the story. 

Saul bass

Saul bass

His work

To understand the importance to an opening of a thriller movie, I've done some research on Saul Bass.

Saul Bass was an american graphic designer and an academy award winning film maker, best known for his designs of motion picture title sequences, film posters and corporate logos. 

Saul started his career in Hollywood in the 1940's, creating print adverts for several movies. During Saul Bass' 40-year career he worked for some of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers. These included Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick and Billy Wilder. 

Some examples of his work can be seen below:

Saul bass also went on to make title sequences for numerous films such as:

• Psycho
• Spartacus
• Ocean's 11
• West Side Story
• Big
• Goodfellas
• Anatomy of a Murder
• Vertigo

a few examples of these title sequences can be seen below:

Saul bass has his own unique touch when creating title sequences. As you can see in his opening title sequence for 'Psycho' Bass uses fast paced music which then sets suspense mood, why is there fast paced music? what does it represent? due to this you are left to question what is going to happen in the film, you are also able to identify 'psycho' as being a thriller. Bass uses a series of simple white bars to usher in the title sequence, then they leave the screen again. Bass implies his own restrictions on 'psycho' which he does through the dramatic effect of the title sequence. The use of the bars coming on and off the screen gives the impression of something being grabbed,this is due to the fact that once they appear quickly on the screen they disappear but leaving writing on the screen, as if its been grabbed and pulled there by the bars. The entrance of the titles and how they are jaggered connotes the mind od a psychopath that is conflicted and often has multiple personalities. 
Another example of Saul bass' unique touch to his title sequences can be seen through his title sequence for 'Vertigo.' Bass uses