Connor's Thriller Reviews

Evaluation!

This is what I learnt from Connors research I may have changed a few things because my opinion is slightly different also I have changed the spellings as there were a few mistakes. Also he kept to putting lighting under camera angles instead of mise-en-scene.

Fight Club
Camera Angles ~ Minimal long shots coveys the director wanted to show importance and detail by using mainly close ups and pans e.g. the film starts by zooming out of the barrel of a gun which is positioned in the narrators/protagonists mouth. The camera follows the bullet to show that it is from the shooters point of view who creates tension, as the viewer never realizes who the shooter is because the camera doesn't reveal his face as he or she is above frame which also builds suspense. Once the scene transition back in time, the viewer acknowledges that the male protagonist is of lower status as he is positioned in a lower frame than the other characters therefore he is of less importance.

The editing conveys that the structure of the film starts at the end because scene one ends and we go back in time to the beginning for the narrative. There is a good pace between cuts so the audience can absorb the information the film is giving them.

Mise-en-Scene~ the lighting is quite dark which builds suspense and creates tension as it connotes isolation which is how the male protagonist is probably feeling; isolated  The gun is a prop which connotes power because a gun is a weapon sand so is indexical to war because war refers to politics. The two scenes juxtapose each other because after the flash-back it confuses the audience as he was running quite a normal life in the setting of an office and it intrigues the audience to how he ended up where he was at the end of the film.

Sound~ The non diegetic background sound was an electric which had a face pace connoting lots of action and suspense building and a hollow that reinforces the tension because of the isolation  There is limited diegetic sounds at the very beginning, but then in the office phones ringing and faxes beeping.

The Prestige

Mise-en-scene ~ The lighting in the clip is quite bright which reinforces the reaction of the the two characters of happiness as their facial expressions convey them smiling which is juxtaposed considering they were just arguing. They were wearing top hats and suits connoting that the film has been set in the 1900's, this is reinforced through props of the lanterns and no cars.

Print Screen of Connors blog

Camera Angles~ A low angle shot establishes a character of a magician connotes that he is an important high status. The audience can see the male protagonist at eye level. There is a range of close ups so that the audience can gain detail of the facial expressions of the people having an argument. Next there is a zoom in camera movement of a huge apparatus as it zooms into the machine tension is built because the size connotes fear. The shot reverse shot of the to people shows their reaction to the machine.

Sound - There is a diegetic sound of birds twittering which makes the pace quite slow because of the low volume and unhurried speed which is quite heart warming. However this is juxtaposed by the unnerving non diegetic violin which is very high pitched creates suspense  which is reinforced as the volume of the diegetic electric brace progressively increases.

No Country for Old Man 
The first shot was a minute and a half of an establishing long shot of the sunrise in a desert so the audience could acknowledge the setting was most probably rural Texas. Then there is a close up of the front of a police care connoting that this is probably a crime thriller. Next there is a long shot of a desert road emphasis how big the journey ahead is and how alone and isolated he is which ids reinforced as there is a slow paced pan at eye level, mid shot of a police officer,leading to the next camera angle of a high-shot as the policeman being strangled by the isolated man, who is facing the camera which conveys who the villain is and who is in control; of a higher status through strength guy looking because he looks bigger and stronger, to the audience from this position of the camera. A range of close ups for example the villain washing his hands in a sink, while the hand cuffs dig into the villains skin and makes his wrists bleed it unnerved the viewer’s because he does this at a slow pace his reaction calm and relaxed – Juxtaposing situation and reaction

Mise-en-Scene:
Prop police car, connotes enforcement of law
Policeman taking a man to the back of the car and putting him in, signifies a bad guy
The gas canister which the policeman talked about to another officer on the phone.
Uniform of the law enforcement, looks like rural Texas.

Shoe marks from where the officer has been struggling to break free from the bad guy.
Hands cuffs on the villain, develops idea captivity but is juxtaposed by the fact he can strangle the police officer freely without emotion; as facial expression strangled man scrunched up, is juxtaposed by the villain blank face on, just the expression of strength being used
Limited variation of lighting, because the only time low-key was used, was in the police car when the bad guy was in, as the camera looked into the car, the back of the car was very low key, to emphasis evil from the villain.

Diegetic sounds include:
Wind blowing iconic to the beginning of thriller films
Bang of gas canister as that connotes its importance in the film.
Rusty old door opening and closing reinforces the iconic sound of thrillers
Footsteps running as he panics and tries to escape it increases to pace
Out of breath as the villain and the man wrestle it reinforces the pace
An exhale from the man connotes he’s dead