The first intertextual reference is to 'Fargo', due to the snow shown throughout, this could link to the plot of 'Fargo' where a man hires somebody to kidnap his wife, only to have the situation spiral out of control. This links well with our thriller because the main character of Peter captures Tiffany for unknown reasons only to start regretting his actions. Another link between these two films is the hired men that kidnap the wife in Fargo, and the Man in our thriller who is scene later to be dragging Tiffany's body through the snow.
Another intertextual reference is between 'The Third Man' and our own thriller 'The Red Snow'. I utilised the same font in both to strengthen the idea that the death at the centre of both films may not be all that it seems. This will be an effective link because it will make the audience think twice about Tiffany's death. Another link between the two is the large black coat worn by Harry Lime and Peter from our thriller. This was in order to strengthen the enigma around our character because we rarely see Harry Lime's face or Peter's.
Another film that we can link our Thriller to is 'Animal Kingdom' this is because both main male characters sit in a bathroom thinking about a close female friend they have lost. This link could show that it is not directly Peter's fault that Tiffany is 'dead' but the death could still be linked back to him and that Tiffany's murderer could also be after Peter. Another intertextual reference is to 'Fight Club', this is because our character could be fighting personal demons which cause him to create a second persona. This is intertextually linked through the flashing between two characters, one pulling a body through the snow and the other trying to remember what happened to Tiffany. This could link in a way back to Fargo because the main character is not in control of the two men he hired but it was his own greed that caused them to become part of his life.
Intertextuality is when something alludes to or references something else of the similar ilk, this is in order for the thriller genre to be developed. Quentin Tarantino uses intertextuality in many of his films in order to strengthen the genre and in order to create and build suspense much more effectively. 3 films which all link together quite well are 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly', 'Kill Bill vol. 2' and 'Buried'. Each of these films use the scene of being buried alive in a coffin as a way of creating suspense and vulnerability. In 'Kill Bill' we have several intertextual references that link it with 'The Good the Bad and the Ugly', whereas in 'Buried' there are very few intertextual references apart from the idea that somebody is trapped underground in a coffin with nothing but a torch and a few other handy items.
The first intertextual reference is the soundtrack. When the bride in 'Kill Bill' is shot in the chest, the soundtrack from 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' plays, this gives the audience the idea that Budd (the character that shot the bride) is about to do something that will link to the graveyard scene in 'The good the Bad and the Ugly.' The next scene shows Budd burying the bride alive in a coffin, this links to the graveyard scene in 'The good, the Bad and the Ugly' again because the locations have been linked. The charters in both these films are also have intertextual links towards each other. Blondie (the Good) Sentenza (the Bad) and Tuco (the Ugly) all link to the characters in 'Kill Bill' this is because the Bride, who is called blondie by Bill is the good character. Bill is the bad because he causes other peoples misfortunes and Budd is the Ugly because he is doing the manual labour and work for the more dominant characters. This links well with the Bride's intensions, in 'The Good the Bad and the Ugly' the Good kills the Bad, which could link to the end of the film where the Bride kills Bill.
The Buried alive scene in Kill Bill links to the buried scene in the film Buried because they both start off in complete darkness but then manage to use a torch to start to find their way out. This is an effective intertextual reference because it makes you believe that the character in 'Buried' is going to escape in the same way that the Bride manages to escape. The claustrophobic space utilised in both films creates the idea that there is no hope for escape, but with the Bride we know that she needs to get out in order to 'have her stand off with the bad'. Their is no real reference to whether the character Paul Conroy in 'Buried' will escape or not apart from the fact that the Bride escaped the same situation.
Whilst researching for our thriller we were shown shots from once upon a time in america, these shots have become very useful because they show the characters brute like exterior and create links behind the characters true personality and there intentions. One shot that we decided to use in our own thriller was the amazing worm's eye view shot. A worm's eye view allows the audience to see from a characters vulnerable perception and allows the audience to become placed within the situation. Within this shot we notice a lot about the character standing above. He is obviously very dominant due to his large influence among the shot and the fixed look of anger upon his face. We do however see that he is helping the character that we are seeing the shot from the point of, we know this because the character has extended his arm across the shot, almost creating a shield across the worm eyes body. We also know this because the characters trilby hat, (which is a generic convention to most thrillers because it shows social status whilst creating danger and reassuring the idea of power and potential enigmas) is tilted away from the character showing his face plainly, in many ways this is his non verbal way of telling the man on the floor that he has arrived and that he will be okay.
The final reason that this worms eye view is such an effective shot is because the shot is reversed, this could create the idea that the man is feeling faint and is not truly with the scene, or the alternative view that this character is on the opposite side to the other men and therefore he is a stronger character.
Throughout the film close ups and tilts are used in order to reinforce enigmas and to add mystery into the scene. In this shot a close up is used in order for the horrible situation to feel realistic and for the violence to become truly represented. This style of close up would be efficient in our own thriller opening because it would allow the audience to truly understand the murder. For example, when our character is lying dead in the snow, a close up shot of her blood covered face would allow the audience to pity her at the same time as understanding how she died. This could allow her death to be linked to an item later on in the thriller, for example, if she had bullet wounds then a close up of a gun or an empty box of ammunition would link the item with the murder to show the audience who committed the crime.
Jackie Brown is the first thriller to be directed by Quentin Tarantino after his first independent Thriller 'Reservoir Dogs' gained large publicity. The film centres around a middle aged black air hostess, who helps the police to take down an arms dealer, Tarantino does this in order to develop the thriller genre. Throughout the film racial and sexist stereotypes are portrayed in several different lights depending on the character. In many ways the character of Jackie Brown confirms racial stereotypes whilst contradicting typical thriller conventions. Race and Gender are linked throughout 'Jackie Brown' because the main character is a female african american therefore is an easily discriminated character.
The opening shot is a tracking shot which shows Jackie Brown from waste up as she walks through an airport, this is longest tracking shot in film history and it lasts a full 3 minutes. We instantly notice that she is agitated, this shows us that she is worried about being late somewhere, this tense body language shows instantly that she is used to being a victim of discrimination. The soundtrack is called "Across 110th Street" and the lyrics reference to life on the streets in america, it mentions pimps and drug dealers which links back to the fact that Jackie Brown gets herself into trouble with an Arms Dealer. She gets caught smuggling drugs through the airport which confirms the deviant stereotypes already held against african american women. When watching the character of Jackie Brown we notice that she is walking much faster than everybody else, this links to the idea that she has to follow different rules than everybody else due to her ethnicity and gender. The shot then changes to a low angle tracking shot, this makes her seem more dominant within the shot, which could be because she has been toughened by a harsh life or because she is more visible to the public as a threat. In the shot above we also see that she is the only character within the shot to be in focus, this could link to her significants or the earlier idea that she is being watched because the public believe her to be a threat.
the above clip shows the shooting of 'Beaumont Livingston', within Jackie Brown. It begins with an establishing shot in which both the characters are having a conversation they then enter Ordell's car. Ordell is the lethal arms dealer that Jackie Brown later gets involved with. We see instantly that Ordell is used to being in control of situations and getting his own way, we see from the body language of both men that Ordell is very demanding whereas Beaumont is very limp like a puppet, this links to his willingness to do what Ordell tells him. During their conversation the two charters use very racist language, this is done so that they both fit into their racial stereotype that people would put them into.
The next important shot we see is Tarantino's classic boot shot. This shot is used in all of Tarantino's films and creates vulnerability of the character whilst also confirming the dominance of the person standing above the camera. Within this scene Ordell Trick's Beaumont into climbing inside the boot of his car. He then slowly walks back to his car and starts to put his gloves on. This is very sadistic behaviour and links Ordell to Bill in Tarantino's later film Kill Bill, this is because both characters put a lot of detail into their actions in order to perfect the deviant actions that they commit. Another Link between the two characters is the flashy jewellery that they both wear, this is too symbolise the characters arrogance and create the idea that they come from working backgrounds and are badly attempting to look rich. The close up shots of the gloves being put on connotes crime and automatically makes the audience think that Ordell is about to do something where he doesn't want his hands to get dirty, for example, the murder of Beaumont.
The next scene shows Ordell taking Beaumont out into a large desolate field. Tarantino uses a long shot in order for the audience to see the whole location and to understand how alone Beaumont is in his situation. The shot is extremely dark creating an enigma of not truly knowing what is happening, this helps to create suspense within the scene. This scene introduces us to Ordell's sadistic personality, his actions show that he is quite psychopathic, this once again links too the character of Bill. This is because both characters have very long calm conversations with their victims before suddenly shooting them without any real signs of remorse.
The final clip takes place in a mall car park and contrasts completely with the murder of Beaumont. Louis, who is Ordell's long time friend, takes Melanie, a female character who lives with Ordell, to a mall in order to collect a lot of money from Jackie Brown, Louis is very agitated and has obviously taken some form of drug before the trade off. Melanie is very careless about being desecrate with the trade, which leads louis to become extremely angry and shoot her in the middle of a car park. These actions contrast well with the Ordell's discrete murder because where Ordell murders at night in an empty location, Louis just shoots without preparation and in the open with witnesses much more likely. The tension however was build more with louis' murder than Ordell's because there was much less warning before the murder, the actions are so erratic that louis seems to be the single most dangerous character in the film, that is until Ordell shoots him in a later scene.
TITLES: After much consideration I decided that my title would need to involve the word snow, for example DEEP SNOW, THE SNOW. I finally decided that RED SNOW not only sounded the best but linked the must to the deviant actions which take place in the snow. The word red symbolising the blood, and contrasting with the white snow to create the imagery of blood splattered across the snow. This is effective because it links to the idea that the murder of Tiffany Wise was hard to cover up, much like trying to remove blood from the pure white snow. The Titles [directed by, starring and produced by] then needed too be placed throughout the Thriller opening. I decided in the end too place all of the titles on top of the snow shots. This is in order for the detailed shots in the bathroom to be uninterrupted and also so that the black writing can contrast with the snow, making the titles easier to see.
FONTS: The font was surprisingly the most time consuming part of my entire edit, this mainly down to the limited selection of fonts. At first I decided that I would utilise the Quentin Tarantino style for titles, where a large font covers the majority of the screen in his classic yellow.
after getting as close to this font as possible I decided to make the font Red to link back to the title and the idea that somebody has been murdered. When I had finished I was left with a Title which looked like this: This title sadly
did not work for me because it seemed too flashy, it lacked subtlety and even when shrunk the font would still make the title curt across the shot in a way which just seemed too tacky. I would have too rethink my font if I wanted an effective title sequence. For inspiration I decided to research even more thriller titles.
After looking into Animal Kingdom, once upon a Time in america and Memento I finally realised that the best titles are the originals. The Third Man stood out instantly as a strong yet discrete title, the title was stacked word by word on top of each other creating a compact and effective image. It was almost as if the title was dependant on each layer to hold it up, this gave the idea that everything was in the balance and about too collapse. I then decided that my title needed to have a reasonable order too it, as well as my font needing to be more precise. I added the following font to all of my titles.
This new font was simple but not too formal like times new roman, it worked due to its simplicity, I needed the title too be spread out in one line because I would place it along the bottom of a shot where preserving detail is important. I kept the size small and made sure that the black would always contrast with the whitest parts of snow. Now that I had my font prepared I wanted to create the ordered tower effect shown in the third man. In the end I managed to fit the following title in effectively, the resized titles did not take as much space as the previous clumsy red titles, so I managed to fit them into places which previously a title would not have worked. I stuck this final layered title in a shot where a hand is scene to be picking up a bracelet. This shot later links to the idea of perfecting a crime, which is why the many layers help to show the preparation that goes into carrying out a murder.
The Third Man is by far the most influential thriller of all time. The entire film has influenced generations of directors, the conventions used throughout really set 'The Third Man' out from the crowd. Within the opening credits of the third man the title sequence is played over "The Harry Lime Theme, the music is tune is very jumpy and played on a string instrument, this instantly links to the idea that the character is pulling strings in order to get what he wants and also the idea that he strings people along so that they believe what he wants them to believe. The shot never moves from the strings of the instrument, this instantly creates the enigma of who is playing the instrument, presumably, Harry Lime is pulling the strings. The film is set in post war Vienna, this is an interesting aspect to the thriller because it links the deviance of the war with the people who now lived in a ruined world. In the photo on the right you can see that the ice has cracked, showing the splintered society that remained. Another signifier to the war is the boat and corpse that float in the water. The idea that they are both left floating among the metaphorical broken city is very effective on the audience because it shows that the director was trying to show that society had been hardened by the war and consequently the city had lost some of its humanity.
The final generic convention used is the smoke and fog covering the background. The idea that the city is becoming more industrialised links to the idea that Vienna was a place where the war could be put in the past and people could easily slip through the radar due to everybody escaping their pasts.
The iconic costumes do not change with "The Third Man", we see generic conventions such as trilby hats and overcoats. The trilby hat is also utilised in 'Once upon a time in America' as well as many other thrillers, this is due to the fact that it effectively shadows the face and gives off the impression of power and wealth. In 'Essex Boys' we see the deviant character dressed in flashy clothes which clearly state his arrogance. But in 'The Third Man' we see the characters as being sly and sophisticated whilst still upholding the deviant atmosphere they deserve. Harry Lime, who is the enigma for the majority of the film is seen donned in a trilby hat at his first appearance. we instantly link this to his deviant intensions. In this shot we see that harry is hiding in shadows, this gives the idea that Harry either doesn't want to be seen or that he shouldn't be seen. He also casts a heavy shadow up against the wall, this hints at the possibility of him having a second personality.
The shot shows Harry looking up slightly and from his wrinkled forehead we see that he is very cautious about being seen in public, it also has a hint of sorrow as if his appearance from the shadows was merely a cry for help aimed at an old friend. The Tilted Trilby hat adds effect to this shot because it creates the idea that Harry is different from most criminals within the city. The shot is also on a slight tilt, this makes the audience feel uneasy about Harrys appearance because until that moment he was supposedly dead.
The tilt could also represent the idea that he is on the edge and that his actions have caused him to become a social outcast. We see later that Harry has been using the sewers in order to travel across the city.
This shot is particularly effective because it shows Holly Martins first visit to Harry's apartment, as he walks down the street he walks under a lander, which is commonly known to be an omen of bad luck. This could mean that Holly is going to have some bad luck with what the man he is pursuing. The shot is low angle and it shows Holly to be looking up at the building beside him, this shows that he is taken in by the large city and that it has an over powering effect on him. This also shows that he is to preoccupied with the city to notice any danger, for instance the ladder, this links to later on in the film where his actions have led him to situations beyond his control.
Psycho was directed by Alfred Hitchcock and is one of the most famous thrillers of all time, its build up of suspense and powerful psychological style put it apart from other thrillers of its time. one scene which really set it apart from other thrillers was the scene in which Marion Crane is murdered in the shower. The idea that the murderer within the scene is a constant enigma is just one factor to why this scene has influenced generations of thrillers. The idea that Marion is nude within the scene not only shows that she is in her natural form but also that she is unprotected from the danger that lurks behind the shower curtain. The sudden entry of the enigma adds suspense to the scene because you suddenly know that something is afoot. The location clashes well with the sudden arrival of this character, The shower is a confined space with very little visibility too outside events. When the curtain is pulled across by the murderer we believe that we are about to see who the deviant man/woman is, but instead the tension builds as a shadow still falls across his face.
Diegetic sound plays throughout, so that the murderers footsteps are drowned out. The moment the murderer appears however non-diegetic sound suddenly jumps in, this adds terror to the scene because the man is very clearly about to murder the woman.
When Marion turns around to see the man we see the expression on her face, this look of pure fear leads to a buildup of tension and suspense within the audience. The character of Marion Crane was intentionally a charter that the audience could relate too so that when she is murdered the audience feel her fear. The close up shot of Marion screaming brings the audience into the scene and allows them to be part of the murder itself. The camera shoots the murderer from every angle, as if building the idea that the audience should be trying to get between the murder to stop the events. In the murder we see the knife slash up against her skin and the murderer repetitively stabs in the same motion, this links to the non diegetic-sound because they are both repetitive and that Marion's pain is never ending. Every shot from the moment the the murder begins is a close up, this fits well with all generic conventions because it allows the audience to see the buildup of suspense and to feel as if they are part of the murder.
One difference between the murder in Psycho and other modern thriller murders is when the villain chose to exit. In modern thrillers the murderer will usually leave once the victim is dead, but in Psycho he leaves before the death, as if he intends to punish her by leaving her to die alone. This is very powerful because it differs the motives of the murderer from an actual Psycho to the motives of someone who purely seems to want revenge.
A final factor of this murder is the final tracking shot of the water and blood. After Marion finally dies we see both water from the shower and her blood slowly draining away together. This symbolises her life slowly washing away as well as linking to the idea that the murderer had washed his hands with her.
Heavenly Creatures is based upon the true story of two young girls, Pauline and Juliet, who plot to murder Pauline's mother after she tries to end the two girls friendship. Throughout the finale scenes we see many close up shots of clocks and watches, this is to show the audience the importance of time and the detail that the two girls have put into their plan. The use of time also leads to the idea of suspense within the scene, the audience know what is going to happen, this leads to the generic conventions of thrillers, where suspense leads the narrative. Another reason for clocks to be constantly shot is that is links to the police asking suspects where they were at the time of a murder, this therefore shows the audience that the crime is about to take place and that the girls will go through with there plotting.
When the two girls and their mother go for a walk the we see that the shot is far from that of classic thrillers like reservoir dogs, where the location (a damp dreary warehouse) links to the personality and deviant actions of the characters. Instead the shot juxtaposes the idea of a lively walk in the wildlife with the gruesome death of Pauline's mother.
Another reason behind the location of the murder is that the audience do not expect the murder to take place, this therefore creates suspense for the audience because they wonder whether or not the mother will be murdered. The two girls and the mother walk down a very tight pathway into the wildlife, this pathway shows the audience that the mother is walking into the unknown. This relates back to the enigma surrounding the possibility of murder.
When the three women are walking down the pathway the mother is in the middle, this shows the audience that she is in the middle of their plan and also that she is the centre of their problems. Throughout their walk the characters feet are constantly shot, this links to the journey there lives are taking and the idea that it is them moving forwards that has brought this tragedy into their lives. The walk is shot mainly in slow motion, this leaves the characters feeling dizzy and creates a quite dreamy atmosphere, this links back to the idea that the two girls are fulfilling there dreams of murder.
The lighting within this scene is ambient lighting, this is because the light is coming from behind the characters, this idea that the light is behind them links to the idea that they are walking to far into there plot. The lighting also creates a halo behind their heads, this shows the characters purity because they have no yet committed their crime, once the two girls have murdered their mother their halos cease to exist.
When the mother decides to stop walking the scene stops being in slow motion, this links to the decisions they are about to quickly make. Both Juliet and Pauline show there hands held tightly, this links to the idea that they are nervous. The mother, tells the two girls that they should go back up the path before the go to far. This not only shows that the mother is unaware of the situation but also that the two girls have already taken her two far and that they must complete there journey/dream.
The Characters: The shot shows a woman holding a gun to a mans head. This challenges the typical stereotype of men being in control. This shot shows her standing up for herself which is uncommon in most classic thrillers because the man is normally in charge. The clothes that she wears within this shot shows the change in gender roles because she is dressed in a large coat which would commonly be worn by men. The male character within this scene is holding his figure very tight which shows that he is scared and also shows his loss of power. This links well with the character of Perrier Lapadite in 'Inglorious Basterds (2009)' who is seen to be very compacted with his body language after losing his power to the nazis.
Location: A car park at night, a car park is quite an ordinary place and normally a very dramatic place for this ind of situation. You see that this is a car park within the shot because of the van which is visible behind the male character. The use of a car-park is generic to thrillers because car-parks are very tight claustrophobic locations, we see this used in the opening shot of essex boys With the character of billy sitting in a car in a tight garage.
Lighting: Non ambient lighting is shown within the shot, this shows that there is no natural light and consequently no help or escape. the brightest item within the miss en scene is in fact the gun being held. This allows the audience to see clearly the most important aspect of the shot is the weapon of violence being held.
Camera angle: a long shot is used to give full perspective of the scene, we see the characters faces very easily and this allows the audience to relate to them and understand the situation clearly. The woman who is seen to be more dominant takes up the majority of the scene. This shows the power she has over the man who is taking up only a small amount of the scene. The mans face portrays that he is calm at the same time as being wary, this leads the audience to thinking that the man has been caught in this situation before and that he is commonly a deviant villain.
Essex Boys is a film directed by Terry Winsor, the film was made in the year 2000 and it is based around the Murders of three drug dealers in 1995. Below are the opening scenes.
The first scene we see shows a garage door being opened, the garage is very small creating a claustrophobic atmosphere. The character of Billy, who has just opened the door turns on several lights, this illuminates the room showing cobwebs and dirt. The way in which the shot comes from within the room and not from the character is what takes this scene away from looking like a horror and more like a thriller. The character moves around in a cheap black suit and starts to narrate in an essex accent. The character speaks about a man called Jason, who has just been released from jail. The shot moves to show the view from the passenger seat, the shot shows the windscreen wipers cleaning mud from the glass. A man is standing under a lamp infront of the car. This character is obviously Jason, his stance shows dominance and the dirty glass symbolises the difference between Jason and Billy. Jason is dressed in a leather coat and a very unflattering yellow patterned shirt. This links to the character of Bill from Kill Bill, because both men are dressed in a cheap and shoddy way, this shows that the characters are trying to give of the image of power, even though they do not have as much power as they'd like.
The second scene shows a car driving slowly down into a tunnel, this once again creates a very claustrophobic atmosphere whilst also implying that being with Jason alone is dangerous. The car slowly gets further and further away from the camera as it drives into the tunnel, showing that Billy is digging himself a hole in his situation with Jason. The tunnel itself looks a lot like the barrel of a gun, this scene may be used again with an actual gun to show that Billy made the wrong choice by driving in the tunnel.
The third shot shows Jason sitting in the back of Billy's car with his arms behind his head, this shows that he is very calm and relaxed, we then see through the windscreen that Billy is far from relaxed. The comparison between the two characters shows that Billy is not the kind of person that would act like Jason and that Billy is the more favourable character.
As we watch Billy drive the lights from the tunnel roof shine down, creating jail bars on the windscreen, this shows us that the characters actions are going to be quite deviant and also that Billy knows the possible consequences of his actions. As the characters leave the scene the camera pans to the right to show a 'Welcome to Essex' sign. This is another cultural signifier, it helps show that the film is following some element of truth, for example that it is based on a true story. The next shot is a point of vue shot from Billy as he watches Jason, the narration talks about how Jason wanted to meet a friend, that he knew from before he went to jail. The shot contrasts well with the calm narration because from the chair leg in his hand and the look on Jasons face we see that the meeting is not with that of a friend. we see from to views as Jason attacks, firstly from the crowd overlooking the fight, and secondly from Billy as he looks through the windscreen. The first shot shows that this kind of behavior is not uncommon, because the crowd are cheering on the fight. The second shot shows that the character of Billy is incredibly scared and is starting to truly understand the situation he has placed himself in.
The film 'Witness, which was directed by Peter Wier in 1985 is about an Amish boy who witnesses a murder at a train station in Philadelphia. The first shot within the murder scene shows the small boy looking up at a large statue, The statue seems to be some form of war memorial and this is an important symbol because the Amish boy does not understand war and modern society. We also see his innocence when the camera angle is from the statue looking down at the boy, The way in which he looks up (with his large hat creating a Halo) shows that he is bewildered by the norms of this new society. The next scene shows the young boy and his mother sitting alone in the vast empty station. The small boy asks to go to the toilet and forgets his hat, his mother reminds him and puts it on his head. This to me sums up the Amish community and the child's personality, not only does it show that they are keeping themselves innocent so that they do not become part of the apparent evil of our communities. The boy is so innocent that when he enters the toilets not only does he smile at a strange man but also leaves the toilet door unlocked and slightly askew. This shows that he does not understand danger or in fact any for of evil. We see the small gap in the toilet door throughout the following scene as two men enter the toilets after him. The two men brutally attack the man and kill him.
This is a very sudden turn of events, this shows the boys sudden change of emotion, from being safe to in danger. One of the murderers is washing his hands when the small boy lets out a small noise (something between a grunt and a squeal). The imagery of a murderer casually washing his hands usually shows guilt, but in this situation the casual way in which he washes shows no guilt within the character. The Murderer (who has heard the noise) starts to kick in the doors. The boy changes his heart and locks the door, This shows that he now understands danger. when the man gets to the final door (in which the boy is situated) he cannot open it, as the man kicks the door the small boy climbs under the side of the cubicle and into the next basin. As he does this he drops his hat on the floor, when he picks it back up he does not place it on his head, this is because the halo which used to show is innocence no longer has an relevance to him.
1) Reservoir Dogs (1992) A thriller about several criminals who after a failed jewelery heist return to a warehouse only to begin suspecting each other of being a police informant. After watching this thriller I instantly went through all of the other Quinten Tarantino (The films director) films which had managed to navigate around my search for every film in existence. This film would make a good case study because within the 99 minutes that we are glued to the screen and seat, there is a perfect build of suspense and tension between the characters. The camera angles are also highly effective and I have already thought of 5 camera angles to include within my own thriller, they are not recreated shots from within the films because that lacks originality, instead they are shots which have entered the vast emptiness of my mind whilst I intake the film.
2) The second Film I could use as a possible case study is Memento (2000)
The film stars Guy Pearce as a young man hunting for his wife's killer, He suffers from short term memory loss and must use photos and tattoos to remember important facts about the man he is searching for. The film is non linear and every scene we see is the memory of the scene before, this overlapping system leads to several different interpretations of the same situation. This would make a good case study because it slowly builds not only suspense but also because it keeps the audience thinking and would help teach me the techniques used to make a film more entertaining and gripping when watched. 3) I spent a long time thinking about what my third potential case study would be, at first I thought that 'The day of the Jackal' would make an interesting study. This idea was quickly removed due to several reasons, one reason is because of definitions. Language is always changing and therefore has changed a lot since 'The day of the Jackal' was aired in 1973. This therefore means that the film itself may not fit the modern definition of a Thriller. Another reason is because the film itself is hard to acquire and having watched it quite long ago I doubt that with just memory it would make a sufficient case study. Finally I narrowed my choices down until I decided that my third case study would be 'Inglorious Basterds'. The reason behind choosing another Quentin Tarantino film was because with my cravings for more of his films the only logical answer was to involve his most recent work. I believe that 'Inglorious Basterds' stuck out was not just because it was his most recent work, it was most likely because it was so far from his usual work. 'Inglorious Basterds' is set within an alternative history in which the Americans succeed in an attempt to kill Hitler. The film would make a good case study due to the situation of the Jew's hiding in Nazi occupied france, this creates excellent tension on stage, whilst also creating a surreal evil within the strong Nazi characters within the Film.
This is the introduction to a thriller by Quinten Tarantino, from these few minutes we, as an audience, are instantly gripped. The film starts with a black screen, over the diegetic sound of pained breathing. We are left for only 2 seconds with this, before an extreme close up of a blood covered woman hits the screen in black and white. These 3 seconds have already been used wonderfully to not only add suspense but to also create an image of classic thrillers. This close up is left for another 8 seconds before any other sense of action is added, this if anything is to add suspense within scene. The only time we see the camera move in the entire introduction, this shot is very low and only covers the feet, this not only means that we cannot see the face of the actor but also that the man is the dominance within the room. The best feature within any of Quinten Tarantino's films is dialogue, and Kill Bill is no exception, the first 5 words are an instant hit. "Do you find me sadistic?" are the first words of the film, and in a way should be the last. The entire film is just the story of how people are sadistic and how they are. I believe that this is one of the best structural devices used within the entire film. The second best feature of any Tarantino film is the camera angles and shots used. In this scene we see the dominant man leaning over the deviant woman and wiping blood from her face with a handkerchief labeled Bill. These two devices work hand in hand to create an entire plot within 20 seconds, The Title is Kill Bill, and the man within the shot is named Bill, this means that we already know the that this woman plans to kill this man and that he has greatly pained her in a somewhat sickening manner. To end this short introduction we see the woman crying as bill shoots her in the head. This is very sudden and adds tension upon our tower of suspense, we are left wondering whether or not this is a flash back or whether or not the end is in fact the beginning as "do you find me sadistic?" once implied.
Another film that we can link our Thriller to is 'Animal Kingdom' this is because both main male characters sit in a bathroom thinking about a close female friend they have lost. This link could show that it is not directly Peter's fault that Tiffany is 'dead' but the death could still be linked back to him and that Tiffany's murderer could also be after Peter. Another intertextual reference is to 'Fight Club', this is because our character could be fighting personal demons which cause him to create a second persona. This is intertextually linked through the flashing between two characters, one pulling a body through the snow and the other trying to remember what happened to Tiffany. This could link in a way back to Fargo because the main character is not in control of the two men he hired but it was his own greed that caused them to become part of his life.
